09 Oct2012

How to Prevent Identity Theft During and After a Divorce

Written by cathy. Posted in Security/Privacy, Uncategorized

Divorce is one of the most stressful events in anyone’s life. Financial stress added to the emotional stress of a divorce can blindside many to the dangers of identity theft. A person going through divorce proceedings has to provide their personal information including bank accounts and social security number to the courts, which makes it easier for a criminal to access your information. Identity theft in general is also becoming more common as well as more costly to the individual.

Criminals creating new accounts with your identity is a far more common occurrence now than criminals using your existing accounts to make purchases, since new accounts are not monitored as extensively by credit card companies. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. Following these steps during and after a divorce can significantly reduce the chances of having your identity potentially damaged.

Get Protected

Freezing your credit is often time consuming and very inconvenient, so if you don’t want to freeze your credit you can purchase identity protection from a service like Lifelock. Unlike credit card companies, identity protection companies monitor the creation of new credit accounts and send out a fraud alert if any suspicious activity takes place. CNN.com reports that consumers that have an identity theft encounter will see issues long down the road, especially when applying for credit. Getting this protection is an effective solution for anyone worried about having their identity stolen.

Close Joint Accounts

One of the first things you should do when getting a divorce is close all of the joint accounts held by you and your spouse. Doing this seems like a no-brainer but is often overlooked as the person’s attention can be focused elsewhere during a divorce. Closing your joint accounts will prevent a spouse from using your checking account and other accounts to make purchases.

Hire a Lawyer

Getting a lawyer to handle your divorce proceedings is a sensible way to ensure your rights will be met legally throughout the divorce proceedings. A lawyer will fight for your rights and make sure you are not treated unfairly by a spouse. Having a lawyer on your side will reduce the risk of having your assets or identity taken away from you.

Monitor Your Credit Reports

By constantly checking your credit report, you can see if anyone is creating new accounts in your name. Home Loan Basics suggests regularly checking your credit scores to keep possible tampering at bay. You should be looking at any financial actions that you aren’t familiar with. By catching these early you can get in contact with the authorities to stop further infringements.

Divorce is more than just calling it quits. With a lot of moving parts, and the additional worry of having your identity compromised, this unwanted event can be more stressful than it has to be. Staying in the know of all possible worries can help to reduce the burden divorce provides.

With so much technology out there it’s great to have as much information about a specific company or product as possible. Take a look at this informational video from LifeLock!

I hope you found this guest post helpful.

Join me on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ChampionMobileNotary to learn more about the daily happenings of a mobile notary public & loan signing agent in the San Francisco Bay Area Peninsula, South Bay and Silicon Valley.

26 Oct2010

What’s Important About the Notary Journal Entries?

Written by cathy. Posted in General Notarizations, Mortgage Loan Signings, Realtors/Mortgage Brokers Accommodator, Security/Privacy

During a recent signing in Palo Alto, the signer was annoyed that I was writing the documents information in my notary journal. He said, “My usual notary has me sign once, no matter how many documents I have.” I replied, “Notary laws changed recently. Notaries are required to use one journal entry per notarized document.” He was very impatient, although he was doing his work while I completed the journal entries. It protects him. If the documents are challenged in the future, do you think he would prefer the notary who used one journal entry per notarized document or the notary who used one journal entry for all of the notarized documents? Usually, more details are more helpful.

Copies of my notary journal entries have been requested by attorneys. In one instance, in San Jose a mother had terminal cancer and was concerned about the guardianship of her two children. She was advised to have a letter notarized stating her wishes. After she passed away, her family challenged her children’s guardianship. She was of sound mind and understood what she signed. The details in my notary journal included:

1. The date and time of the notarization
2. The title of the document
3. The number of pages of the notarized document
4. A loose notary acknowledgment was attached
5. Credible witnesses driver’s license information (they were used to identify her)
6. Credible witnesses signatures
7. Her name and address
8. Her signature
9. Her right thumb print
10. The fee for the notarization
11. I also included notes on where the notarization occurred

Another instance, in Los Altos an elderly woman signed a revised trust and a certification of trust. She was of sound mind and understood what she signed. After she passed away, some of her family contested the documents because they were not included as beneficiaries. Her attorney’s contacted me for my journal entries. My journal entries were helpful, as they showed the time of the notarizations, her identification information, her signature and thumbprints. They used the time of the notarizations to show that I was there for about 30 minutes for the signing (from the start of the notary appointment). It was not a “quick, sign here good-bye notarization.”

A couple of years ago, the California Secretary of State started requiring notary publics use one journal entry per notarized document, so more details of each document could be entered. The purpose is to help deter fraud and protect the parties involved in the notarizations. Previously, notaries could use one journal entry for multiple notarized documents. This was hard to include more details about each document.

According to the FBI…”A written or electronic record of the transaction in a journal of notarial acts. By recording critical facts about each notarization at the time of the act is performed, the Notary creates an official public record that safeguards citizens’ valuable property and due process rights.” (The Role of Notaries in Deterring and Detecting Fraud and Identity Crimes 2004)

What is important to you about the notary journal?

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13 Aug2010

How Can Champion Mobile Notary Help Business Owners?

Written by cathy. Posted in General Notarizations, Security/Privacy

I asked my Facebook fans what they would like me to share. A business owner and client (Lee Lonitz, http://www.designforsite.com/) asked me to share how I help business owners. Thank you for asking Lee! I help business owners get the most out of their time by delivering accurate, efficient notary service to them and their employees. Below are ways I more specifically help them with my mobile notary service:

1. Easy to schedule appointments: E-mail, online, text or phone.

2. Flexible schedule: As a full-time notary, I can work with their busy schedules. I can meet them at their office, at their off-site meeting location or at their home.

3. Prompt notary service: Reliable to help them stay on track with their busy schedules.

4. Professional notary service: Knowledgeable, accurate, efficient notary service allows their documents to be executed correctly, so they don’t have to repeat the process which could be costly with missed deadlines. I work with them to keep their workflow running smoothly. They are with me to show their current government issued identification, sign and date their documents, confirm they understand the documents (if required, take oaths) and sign my notary journal and give thumb prints. I complete the notary certificates and journal, for which they don’t have to be present.

5. Convenient payment options: Cash, check, debit card, credit card (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, or Visa), PayPal or invoice.

6. Privacy: Their document and identification information are kept confidential. My notary journal is in my briefcase with me. If I leave my briefcase in my car, it is locked. In addition, it is secured with a cable and lock to the car. The completed journals are kept in a locked filing cabinet (My boss, the Secretary of State requires completed journals be kept for 7 years).

If you have any questions about how I can help you with your mobile notary needs, please feel free to ask me.

Stay in touch, join my Facebook Page www.Facebook.com/ChampionMobileNotary. You will also learn more about the daily happenings of a mobile notary public and loan signing agent in the San Francisco Bay Area Peninsula, South Bay and Silicon Valley.

26 Apr2010

Employer ID: What is Acceptable to Notarize Documents?

Written by cathy. Posted in General Notarizations, Mortgage Loan Signings, Security/Privacy

Recently, I communicated extensively with a family who is trying to have a Police Clearance letter notarized for their son who is teaching English in a foreign country. Some police departments have policies that do not allow their employees to show their driver’s licenses for identification. They only allow their employees to use their employer issued identification cards. The California Secretary of State, the governing body for notary public’s in California, has specific policies too for identifying a person who is notarized. In other words, the Secretary of State is the boss for notary publics. The penalty fee for improperly identifying a person is $10,000 (Civil Code 1189(a)(2)). This penalty was passed in 2008 due to mortgage fraud that occurred in the years previously.

An employee identification card issued by an agency or office of the State of California, or an agency or office of a city or county in California can be used as identification ONLY if it includes the following items:

1. Photo
2. Physical description
3. Identification number
4. Issue date and/or expiration date
5. Signature of the person (not anyone else)

These are specific requirements issued by the Secretary of State of California. They are non-negotiable. If you give $10,000 to the notary public, maybe the notary public will be willing to notarize your document. That will cover their penalty (Civil Code 1189(a)(2)). It won’t cover the negative mark from it on their record for the violation.

If you would like to learn more about these matters, you can review the 2010 Notary Public Handbook.

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The contents of this blog are copyrighted. No portion of it may be reproduced without written permission.

22 Mar2010

What Type of Identification Is Acceptable for Notarizations?

Written by cathy. Posted in General Notarizations, Mortgage Loan Signings, Realtors/Mortgage Brokers Accommodator, Security/Privacy

Sometimes people who have documents that require notarization are unaware of the proper photo identification they need. The governing body that regulates California notary publics is the Secretary of State. They determine what forms of photo identification are allowed. Following are acceptable forms of current identification (or issued within five years) to notarize documents according to the Secretary of State’s Notary Public Handbook 2010 (some wording modified for easier reading):

1. US passport;
2. California Identification Card (is similar to California Driver’s license. It states “Identification Card” instead of “Driver License”)
3. California Senior Citizen Identification Card (same as above);
4. A passport issued by a foreign government that is stamped by the US Immigration and Naturalization Service or the US Citizenship and Immigration Services;
5. A driver’s license issued by another state or by a Canadian or Mexican public agency authorized to issue driver’s licenses;
6. An identification card issued by another state;
7. A US military identification card with a photo, physical description, signature, and identifying number;
8. An inmate identification card issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation;
9. An employee identification card issued by an agency or office of the State of California, or an agency or office of a city or county in California;

Please note the original photo identifications must be presented to the notary public before your documents are notarized. Copies of your photo identification or expired original photo identifications are not acceptable. The fine for notary public’s not properly identifying someone is up to $10,000. In addition, it is to protect you. Please understand the responsibility notary public’s have in identifying you before they notarize your documents.

Stay in touch, join my Facebook Fan Page www.Facebook.com/ChampionMobileNotary. You will also learn more about the daily happenings of a mobile notary public and loan signing agent in the San Francisco Bay Area Peninsula and South Bay and Silicon Valley.

The contents of this blog are copyrighted. No portion of it may be reproduced without written permission.

28 Apr2009

Handling Sensitive Personal and Private Documents

Written by cathy. Posted in Security/Privacy

Today, I received a call from “Jane” at the Stanford Hospital in Stanford, California. She and her sister, “Jill” are trustees who are responsible to sign the closing documents for the sale of their parents house. Jill, who is in Oregon, has the documents and planned to email them to me, so I could print them and meet with Jane at Stanford Hospital to execute and notarize them. Escrow needed the documents tomorrow morning to close escrow on time.

One of Jill’s concerns was me handling such sensitive personal documents. I reassured her that I handle seller signings; residential purchases and home refinance loan document packages and estate planning documents, as well as many other types of private documents for businesses (such as patent applications and patent assignments) and individuals (such as estate planning documents). I have completed over several thousand notarizations and before being a notary public, I worked in the residential real estate industry for several years where I managed escrow files and disclosure packets.

Additional information for the credibility of California Notary Public’s is we are required every four years to pass an exam, pass a background check by the FBI and the Department of Justice of California. Also, our photos and all ten fingerprints are submitted to the California Secretary of State. I have additional Gramm-Leach Bliley Act training which involves handling and safeguarding nonpublic personal information electronically and in print. My laptop and external hard drive are password protected. My active journal is in my briefcase which is locked and secured in my car when I am on the road and not in a notary appointment. My inactive journals are locked in a secure filing cabinet. I have a firewall, anti-spyware and antivirus software on my laptop which is updated frequently. If I have extra copies of personal documents, such as when documents are redrawn and the first set are no longer needed, I shred them.

I hope this helps you better understand how I handle and protect nonpublic personal and private information with complete confidentiality.

When you have your important documents notarized do you know what happens with your personal private information that is entered in the notary journal? If you had a mortgage loan signing and the notary brought the documents which included your personal financial information, do you know how it is handled?

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