The notary signed off because the person who signed the deed was not the person who owned the property.

Liza Horvath, Senior Advocate: What do you mean?

The person who signed the deed was not the owner of the property. The owner of the property was someone else.

Liza Horvath, Senior Advocate: Why did the notary sign off?

Liza Horvath, California’s senior consumer advocate, is calling on the state’s notaries to take a stand against fraud.

In a recent blog post, Horvath recounted how she was nearly taken in by a scam artist who posed as a loan modification specialist. The fraudster had all the trappings of legitimacy, including a notary’s stamp.

Horvath says she was only saved from falling victim to the scam by the intervention of a friend who is a notary. The notary pointed out that the document the fraudster was asking Horvath to sign was not a standard form and was not notarized.

Now, Horvath is calling on California’s notaries to be on the lookout for such scams and to refuse to sign off on any document that they suspect may be fraudulent.

Notaries are in a unique position to help protect consumers from fraud, and I hope they will take my advice and use their skills and training to help keep Californians safe.