Important Information About Remote Online Notarization

Remote online notarization is a wonderful new tool that can help individual’s with most all of their notarization needs. Being able to connect with a remote online notary public via computer or cellular device, creates a faster and many times more secure process than a traditional notary public. Remote online notarization is one of the fastest growing methods in the notarization industry, in large part due to the 2020 pandemic. It also has grown quickly because customers find the process as an easy and secure way to handle their notarization needs. However, there are some who may have concerns or tribulation about using this type of new technology for such confidential and private transactions. Aim Notary is here to dispel the most common concerns you may have regarding remote online notarization. 

One concern that is often brought up by potential customers is rather or not a remote notary would be able to determine if an identification used by a customer is fake. We completely understand why this is a concern for customers. No one wants to become a victim of identity theft. Aim Notary also uses a knowledge-based authentication process to decrease the risk of fraud. The Knowledge-based authentication requires individual to identify themselves with unique individual questions specifically designed to determine a person’s identity. Each individual must pass the knowledge-based authentication process prior to meeting with a remote online notary. This process is designed to prevent the use of someone else’s identity to have a document notarized. Each individual must also appear on camera. Not only does a copy of identification have to be uploaded to meet with a remote online notary, but the individual must also appear on video chat where again they are required to show their photo identification to the remote online notary public for in-person verification.

Another concern that individual customers have is the rumor that fraud is greater when using a remote online notary public versus a traditional notary public. Aim Notary works diligently to ensure that our transactions are safe, secure, and reliable. We use a platform that has a multi-factor identification authentication. We also record all audio-visual chats with each signer. We have a complete and reliant process for recording and storing all signer information and audio-visual conversations. Each of these layers work separately and together in order to ensure that our customers information is secure. One of the best fraud deterrents in our process is the video recording. The notary public and the signer must both appear on a video chat that is recorded and stored for years. This process is a great deterrent as the video can be accessed via legal methods if needed.

A third concern for individual’s maybe that the notary public doesn’t have the proper authority to conduct remote onlinenotarizations. This is a legitimate concern as not all notary publics are authorized to conduct remote online notarizations. Aim Notary only hires fully vetted, licensed, and insured notary publics who have been given the proper authority through their state to conduct remote online notarizations via our platform. A notary public can not simply use any available video chat form to conduct an online notarization. Each state has its own criteria for the method and the systems used to properly and legally conduct a remote online notarization. This is why it is super important for a signer to choose a company with an established customer base and a good reputation to conduct their remote online notarizations. 

A fourth concern is more of an overall concern for all parties involved in the notarization process. This is the issue of duress. It is one of the responsibilities of a notary public to ensure that a signer is not signing a document under duress. Some argue that because the video chat only shows the signer and the notary public has no knowledge if another person is in the room with the signer that this can lead to coercion of the signer. However, it can be argued that coercion does not only come from a person sitting the same room or at the same table as the signer. Coercion can come in many forms even outside of the signing process that may influence the signer. Aim Notary suggests that if coercion were a factor in an online notarization process and it was not recognized by the notary public then the chat video can be reviewed later for clues of potential duress. If the notarization took place with a traditional notary, there would be no video to review at a later time. This is where we suggest that remote online notarization is more secure than traditional notarization as the transaction can be reviewed in it’s full anytime at a later date.

Aim Notary wants our customers to know that we work diligently day and night to ensure that we are providing them with the most secure and up-to-date processes for their protection. There are other Blog articles that address what methods and platforms we use to ensure the security of our customers. Check them out at www.aimnotary.com/blogs.