Remote online notarization (RON) has become a standard part of modern life, allowing people to sign and notarize legal documents from anywhere in the world. But the convenience of online notary services comes with a risk: how do you know the notary on the other side of the screen is who they claim to be? A fraudulent notary can facilitate the signing of forged documents, enable identity theft, or simply collect fees for services they are not authorized to provide. facesearching offers a practical solution: by using a face search engine to verify the identity of the notary before your session, you can confirm that the person you are about to trust with your most important legal documents is legitimate. This guide explains how to verify online notary services using facesearching and why it is an essential step in the remote notarization process.
Why Online Notary Verification Matters
Online notarization involves the notarization of legal documents — wills, trusts, deeds, powers of attorney, affidavits — through a video call with a commissioned notary public. The notary verifies your identity, witnesses your signature, and applies their official seal. The entire process relies on the notary being a legitimate, commissioned professional. A fraudulent notary poses multiple risks: they may notarize documents improperly, making them legally invalid; they may steal your personal information and use it for identity fraud; they may be part of a larger scam operation that targets people signing important documents; or they may simply not be a notary at all, collecting fees for a service they cannot legally provide. Verifying the notary's identity before the session is a critical safeguard. A reverse face search using facesearching can confirm that the notary's photo matches their claimed identity across multiple public sources, providing confidence that you are working with a legitimate professional.
How facesearching Helps Verify a Notary's Identity
The verification process with facesearching is straightforward. Before your notary session, obtain the notary's photo — this may be available on the notary platform's website, the notary's professional profile, or their state notary commission listing. Upload that photo to facesearching. Within seconds, the face search engine returns results showing where that face appears publicly across the web. Ideally, you should see the face appearing in contexts consistent with the claimed identity: the notary's professional website, their state commission listing, their LinkedIn profile, and perhaps local business directories. If the face appears under different names, on unrelated platforms, or on stock photo sites, that is a red flag. The key is consistency: a legitimate notary will have a public presence that aligns with their professional identity. If the face search reveals inconsistencies, do not proceed with the notarization until you have resolved them. To find someone by photo and verify their identity, visit the facesearching home page.
Red Flags to Watch for When Verifying a Notary
When verifying an online notary with facesearching, watch for these specific red flags. The photo does not appear in any public source: a commissioned notary public should have some public presence — on a state commission website, a professional directory, or a business website. A complete absence of public presence is unusual and warrants caution. The photo appears under different names: if the same face is associated with multiple, inconsistent names, the notary may be using a fake identity. The photo appears on stock image sites: this is a definitive red flag — no legitimate notary uses a stock photo as their professional image. The notary's commission cannot be independently verified: every state maintains a searchable database of commissioned notaries. Cross-reference the notary's name and commission number with the state database. If the commission does not exist, the notary is fraudulent regardless of what the face search shows. The notary platform has no verifiable public presence: a legitimate online notary platform should have a professional website, business registrations, and customer reviews. A face search of the platform's representatives can help verify the platform's legitimacy as well. For more on detecting fake identities, see our guide to spotting fake photos.
Cross-Referencing Notary Credentials With Face Search Results
The most effective verification combines face search with credential verification. Start by looking up the notary's commission in your state's official database. Every state has a searchable online database of active notary commissions. Verify that the notary's name, commission number, and expiration date match what the notary has provided to you. Then, run a face search on the notary's photo and compare the results with the commission information. The face should appear in contexts consistent with the notary's professional identity — the same name, the same geographic area, and a professional online presence. If the commission database shows the notary is active in California but the face search shows the person living and working in Florida under a different name, something is wrong. This cross-referencing approach — combining official credential verification with reverse face search — provides the strongest possible assurance that the notary is legitimate. For more on cross-referencing techniques, see our guide to face search cross-referencing.
What to Do If the Notary Fails Verification
If your verification of an online notary raises concerns, take the following steps. Do not proceed with the notarization: do not sign any documents, share any personal information, or pay any fees until the concerns are resolved. Contact the notary platform: if you found the notary through a platform, report your concerns to the platform's support team. Legitimate platforms take fraud reports seriously and will investigate. Report to the state notary authority: if you believe someone is fraudulently posing as a notary, report them to the secretary of state or notary commissioning authority in the relevant state. Find a verified alternative: use a well-known, reputable online notary platform that verifies its notaries and provides transparent information about their credentials. Document everything: keep a record of the notary's name, photo, commission number (if provided), and the results of your face search. This documentation may be useful if you need to report the fraud. For more on protecting yourself from identity fraud, see our guide to detecting identity theft.
The Bigger Picture: Verifying All Online Professionals
The principles of notary verification apply broadly to any online professional you engage with remotely. Whether you are working with a lawyer, an accountant, a financial advisor, a real estate agent, or any other professional who handles sensitive information or facilitates important transactions, verifying their identity is a prudent step. The face search engine approach is consistent: obtain the professional's photo, run a face search, cross-reference the results with official credentials, and look for consistency. The specific databases you check will vary by profession — state bar associations for lawyers, FINRA for financial advisors, real estate commissions for agents — but the principle is the same. facesearching provides a fast, privacy-respecting way to perform the face search component of this verification. To get started verifying any online professional, visit the facesearching home page and upload a photo to see where that face appears publicly.