City of Albany warns of school zone violations scam

ALBANY, Ga. – An already controversial element to driving in the city of Albany is leading to more scams. As fraudsters are targeting people who get tagged for speeding in school zones.

Police Chief, Michael Persley says the main problem has been occurring with notaries who are willing to approve affidavits of people caught speeding in school zones…

And… they’re had plenty already.

“I can tell you it’s in the hundreds. Where people have been charged more than they should have for the services,” said Chief Michael Persley, Albany Police Department.

Georgia law states that notaries can only charge at most four dollars to notarize an affidavit for speeding…

Chief Persley says fraudsters have been trying to charge several times that much.

“There are people who are putting themselves on social media calling themselves things like ‘the ticket lady’ that if you pay, I’ve seen one post, starting at $20. Why should you post starting at $20 when the most you can charge is four dollars to provide a service?” said Chief Persley.

The Albany Police Chief says that most notaries typically work on the honor system when it comes to filing how much they charge to notarize documents…

So… the police is working with the state to try and crack down on this for the sake of notaries who aren’t trying to pull a fast one.

“It’s a trust issue. For one thing: we have contacted the state agencies that are responsible for overseeing the program, and we’ve also contacted our Superior Court Clerk who oversees notaries in this county,” said Chief Persley.

But… while they’re working on cracking down on frauds, there’s a piece of advice Chief Persley is passing on to those needing to get their papers notarized.

“Make sure your notary is for the county you’re doing business in. You don’t need to go to another county, any other outside of Dougherty county if you’re conducting official business within. So, make sure your notary is for the county you reside in,” said Chief Persley.

Chief Persley goes on to say that if you’re being taken advantage of by a fraudulent notary to contact the Albany Police immediately.

If you feel you’ve been taken advantage of by a fraudulent notary, you can contact the Albany Police Department at (229)-431-2100 or the Municipal Court at (229)-431-2865

Brian Roche reporting.

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