I received a request for my notary services that was asking me typical questions. He wouldn’t let me know how many signatures there were. After I addressed his questions this was his next email request:
Sounds like he’s fishing for free information. Too strange to continue with this customer. It’s very abnormal to ask for a meeting like this
@CherylM Apparently there’s a new player in the game…see this thread
Scam emails - The Darker Side - Protecting Yourself from Fraud - Notary Cafe Forums
I seen a post on FB about this, multiple people received this email.
Really? I knew after he didn’t answer my question and then asked for the zoom. Thank you!
I did an estate package where the lawyer was on a zoom with the signer.
It actually made things really easy. The lawyer was in Virginia. So it made sense to do it that way. I don’t see it as fishing for any information they just want their documents done right.
I had the same thing happen to me. Different name and was a text with an icloud address. Kept trying to get me to do zoom. He said his wife is out of the country right now and has questions. The link he sent me had a virus attached. I told him we could do facetime or conference call and he was not interested, kept pushing zoom. I refused and haven’t heard back from him. It’s a scam.
This is a scam. I got the exact same thing. He wouldn’t answer specific questions and then wanted a zoom meeting. I blocked him. The email has AI written all over it. It cones off very robotic.
I agree with you. Who needs that crap? I might be coerced into going along with it if they were paying exceptionally well, but not for a “normal”, regularly priced signing.
@CherylM , I’m just curious, why does a Zoom meeting seem suspect? I think meeting virtually actually gives you the upper hand, you can check things out better. Maybe I’m just clueless. In notary work, I figure people research and compare prices anyway. “Robert” seems like he’s just blasting out emails, no idea why. But using Zoom, I can bail if things get weird. Most of my online general notary stuff starts with a virtual chat or call, Zoom is just easier that way. Just my two cents… 
I just received this email- almost exact wording requesting a notarial officer and the signatures had the word provost after it. Which is a British term I believe. He wanted to know my fees so I told him and and requested the location since there will be a travel fee. Strange because.then he wanted to have the zoom and I have not replied back.
I hope you’re doing well, I am seeking a notarial officer to assist with notarizing documents required for my tax filing. Please let me know your availability, fees, and any requirements I should prepare in advance.
Thank you, and I look forward to your response
DEBRA SEABIRD
PROVOST
(Told my fees and ID requirements and asked the location due to travel fee, then the scammer replied)
Hello,
Thank you for your response, can we talk over a zoom meeting before we fix a suitable time and date that works for us both?
Let me know what you think and I will be waiting to hear from you
I received this request via text messaging. Exact wording. I deleted the text. Fishing for sure. Do not reply.
It’s defiantly a scam, IRS doesn’t ask for any tax documents to be notarized for You are not a tax attorney, you do not provide a tax service.
My thought is, what is he looking for? A copy of your stamp to reuse elsewhere?
Hmmm, I wondering if they would use your image in the zoom to AI it to do something else…Zoom = RUN!!
notarial officer We do not use that term in the USA we are Notary Publics…big clue.
AI says: no country formally uses “notarial officer” as its primary legal title for the role equivalent to a notary public. The term appears mostly in U.S. state‑level contexts as an internal classification, not as a national professional title.
@CherylM I received a similar email the other day. I actually responded to the sender with an offer to meet. But I took a few precautions, first I wouldn’t accept the sender’s zoom invite, I sent the sender my own zoom invitation. Secondly, I didn’t agree to the sender’s time frame. I had the sender meet at the time I established. The sender agreed to my time frame, but didn’t show up. So, yes it could be someone that is fishing for “free information”.
