Commission Number Fraud Encounter — Seeking Advice from Fellow Notaries

The Darker Side - Protecting Yourself from Fraud
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I’m a Virginia Notary Public, and I wanted to share something that happened recently in case it helps others stay alert.

A title company reached out to me and asked whether I worked with someone named David B. She found him on Fiverr, offering notary-related services, and noticed he was using my Virginia commission number on his profile, and his location states “UK”. Thankfully, she looked up the commission number through the state database and saw my name attached to it. When she asked him who “Stephanie” was, he told her I was “part of his team.”

Obviously, that was not true.

I’m grateful the title company did her due diligence, but now I’m left wondering who else he may have misled. I contacted Fiverr immediately, explained the situation, provided screenshots the title company gave me and his profile link, and asked whether he had interacted with other customers or used my information elsewhere. Fiverr has since deactivated his profile, but I’m still waiting to see if they can provide more details.

My next steps are:

  • Filing a police report (I’m waiting to see if Fiverr provides additional information first)

  • Contacting the Commonwealth of Virginia to notify them

  • Considering adding a short disclaimer on my website or materials reminding clients to verify notaries through the state lookup tool — even if they don’t end up using my services

Has anyone else dealt with something like this?
Any suggestions on what else I should do or watch out for?

I’m sharing this so other notaries can stay aware — our commission numbers are public record, but misuse like this can still catch you off guard.

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Thanks for the heads up!

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@bela28llc1 Appreciate you sharing your direct experience about this topic. :white_check_mark: A cautionary tale.
  • Has anyone else dealt with something like this?

No, I have no experience like that.

  • Any suggestions on what else I should do or watch out for?

I’d consult with the Commissioning Authority in your State for their insights, guidelines, & suggestions. They will have extensive experience addressing this type of issue.

:swan:

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Hi Bela,
I’m in Virginia too. Why don’t you write to your state representative and to the Attorney General’s offfice? I just wrote to Holly Siebold, who is one of my reps, about another issue. But I’ve been writing letters for years and submitting material to the Secretary of State. Maybe if enough people get going, they’ll react. It’s very frustrating.

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New scam every day, it seems. It was good of TC to give you a heads up on this matter so you could take steps needed to protect yourself. But, it makes me wonder why a TC is looking for a notary…on Fiverr–of all places?!?

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