I had a Text from Mike Guido who needed a notary for a seller package. I just felt uncomfortable for some reason. He said he got my name from 123 Notary. Then he said " kindly send me your email" I replied " I don’t fell comfortable eith this. Please look for another notary. " Then I blocked him. Has anyone ever felt red flags like that? If I get these questions from Google my business, I’m much more comfortable responding. If anyone else gets these kinds of requests how do you proceed safely?
Actually, I’d probably feel more comfortable seeing it came from a Notary DIRECTORY because it would tend to indicate that the inquiring party has enough experience to go to a directory. A text would be most likely to get a quick reply. I kinda think you blew off a good paying job direct from Title.
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@genevawilkerson33 Sometimes a direct phone call can ease concerns & elucidate the scenario . . .
One could respond with something along the lines of: “I’m currently available in-between appointments. Please call me on my cell so we can further discuss this Signing Order. Thank You.”
Often, if the text is unscrupulous, you’ll NEVER receive a phone call => thus, concerns confirmed.
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When I lived in Kitsap County WA received text requests from millionaires living on Bainbridge Island WA. They found me through Google. My email is advertised anyway so I request an email to communicate about assignment. These were great paying jobs. They usually had documents created by lawyers and I just had to show up and do my thing. I don’t put my address on my business cards. I’m 73 but there are a lot of lonely old men out there that want continued contact after a signing. I block the calls if they get pesty. Sort’ve flattering that this old lady gets attention but only if it is my choice not otherwise.
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I received a text from a person who said they found me on Notary Go. They gave me a few specifics of the job and asked if I was available. I googled them to see if they were an established business then called back and asked the standard questions, like what is the document and the type of notarization needed, who is their client, how many pages and signatures and confirmed the rate. They followed up with a confirming email and it all went smoothly. I can’t stress checking out the requestor to have some level of comfort prior to accepting a notary signing.
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@trmnla Yes, 
percent! Absolutely.
Vetting clients (PRIOR to providing professional services to them) is something that I have strongly & regularly recommended on the Notary Cafe forum for many, many years . . .
Here is the direct url link to a Notary Cafe post demonstrating that directive:
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I’ve also linked another thread that you may find helpful, too!
The most likely reason the mag-glass isn’t gonna be more prominent, hence used. is new posts contribute to a higher Search Engine Optimization to be on 1st page & draw in the most people; whereas a search is just a search–even tho’ it is the BEST way to get the most on-topic info the inquiring party needs.
(MD) I received a random text from a law firm asking to work directly with me. They got my name from one of the services and decided that they wanted me exclusively. Now all my assignments come directly from the lawyer through a text message. They pay WITHIN 48 HOURS OF ME SENDING THE DOCUMENTS. No fedex necessary, just scans! I didn’t vet them because the name of the firm was a little familiar and I figured that if they didn’t pay the first time, I would not continue. It has been great!
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A key thing to note from scammers. Take care to notice the language they are using. Words like “kindly send me…” and “Best Regards” are mostly used in European nations. Here in the Ole US of A, we use “Please send me your email so I can forward you the information”
Most Scammers come from European Nations and places that use French as secondary languages, therefore the way they address people is different from us Mainland Natives. 
Also, in a situation like this, asking them to call you directly is a best option. If it’s a scam, they won’t call.
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I get no less that 40 scammer emails a day. Combine that with dozens of hang-ups on my cell phone. It’s enough to drive one to drink. But all the texts I receive for notary services have all been golden opportunities. I call those texters back immediately!
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I personally avoid dealing with anyone or any company that I’ve never heard of. I’ve been in this business long enough to know who the major “players” are and even if I haven’t personally done business with them in the past, If they are legit, I may know who they are. from other people’s comments or articles I’ve read. There’s just too much potential risk involved in blindly taking work assignments from unknown entities.
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Thank you for this. I also recently had a call from a telemarketer and he just said “F*** you mam”. I didn’t even get a chance to hang up on him.
No you didn’t blow off a good job. Fishing to charge fees for service. 
on 123notary, email is not visible right away, Only phone number is .
So when someone took time to call you, and asks for email (which is either way visible with additional clicks) I tell them email is visible on 123notary , and ask them click and copy the email or Send me a text message and I will send you my email. Nothing wrong with sharing email. Its visible anyway.
Why fear sharing email ?
As notary PUBLIC, we are PUBLIC FUGURE in service of the General PUBLIC. This is our official function !! One may keep an email private, then one may never get jobs and they move on to the next person in the directory. Privacy and Anonymity would be our own worst enemy. The more visible we are out there, the more possible jobs, and of course more possible scammers,
but we got to out there : outsmart the worst and take on the best.
See my recent and various posts about scammers targeting you with emails. direct calls from 123notary usually is from a direct title company. I get paid $250 to $300 from those such jobs.
It would a safe assumption that you probably missed a signing assignment.
I sometimes use such language. I would not judge a book from its covers.
However that said, Urrr Rrrright there are some language nuances that scream SCAM.
See my recent posts of email scams attempts.
I had a phone call yesterday from a numer that I didn’t recognize. I figured that if it was a notary request they could leve a message. Right after the call I received a text asking if I was available to do a closing and it included the name of the company.
I had never heard of them before so I immediately Googled them. Everything was legit via my search. So I called them back. I explained that with all the scams out there these days I proceed with caution. He totally understood.
My first question to him was how did he find me. His response was via NNA.
We both had short interviews over the phone about both of our backgrounds. I then accepted the assignment for which he voluntarily gave me full details on and he asked me to go to the link to his portal and complete on-board application and upload my credentials based on my background.
The process went smoothly and I now have another company that I look forward to working with.
If you do your research and follow up on these one time instances, you might just gain a new company to work with that has not been a part of your mainstream partners.
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