Section 37(2) of the Notary Public Act provides that a notary public is not liable for the truth, form or contents of a record he or she notarizes. This protects a notary from civil and criminal liability if a court finds fault with a document's truth, form or contents.
However, a notary could be required to pay damages to someone whose damages are caused by the notary's negligence or misconduct when performing a notarial act. To minimize this risk:
Always require document signers to appear before you at the time of notarization.
Positively identify all document signers.
Carefully complete the notarization including your name as it appears on your commission; the county of commission; commission expiration date; the statement "Acting in the County of ______" (if performing a notarial act in a county other than your county of commission); and the date of notarization.