The primary duties of a Notary Public are to prevent fraud by confirming
that the signer’s identity is who he or she claims to be, and that the person,
in the presence of the notary, has voluntarily signed a document on a
given date. A Notary Public has the authority to take acknowledgments,
protest instruments, administer oaths, take depositions, and certify copies of
documents not recordable in the public records.