Fake Online Notaries: How to Tell a Real eNotarization From a Scam

A real online notarization in the Philippines happens on a Supreme Court-accredited platform, with your ID verified and you appearing live before a commissioned notary. Anything else isn’t eNotarization.

Picture the offer: a social media page promises a notarized affidavit in fifteen minutes: send your PDF and a photo of your ID through chat, pay by e-wallet, and get the file back with a seal on it. No call, no lawyer you can name, no questions asked.

Now that electronic notarization is part of the Supreme Court’s rules, offers like that are easier to believe, because notarizing online is real. It just isn’t what they are selling.

What changed, and what didn’t

During the pandemic, the Court’s interim rules on remote notarization of paper documents (A.M. No. 20-07-04-SC) let paper documents be notarized with parties appearing over video. Those interim rules have been repealed. A notary on Zoom stamping a paper document is no longer an option, and an ordinary video call over Messenger, Viber, or Zoom is not eNotarization.

What replaced them is narrower and much stricter. Under the 2025 Rules on Electronic Notarization (A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC), an electronic document can be notarized only by an Electronic Notary Public (ENP), through an Electronic Notarization Facility (ENF) the Supreme Court has accredited. A lawyer’s regular notarial commission does not carry over. Lawyers have to apply separately for an electronic notarial commission.

What a real eNotarization always has

Every genuine eNotarization, on any accredited facility, has these six things. If one is missing, walk away.

1. An accredited facility. The Supreme Court accredits ENFs and announces them. The first three were accredited in August 2026, Twala among them. Some websites describe themselves as electronic notarization facilities without being on the Court’s list, so check the list yourself, starting from the Court’s eNotarization page.
2. A commissioned ENP. A lawyer holding an electronic notarial commission from the Supreme Court. An ENP who fails to renew on time is removed from the Directory of ENPs, which cuts off access to every accredited facility.
3. A real identity check. The Rules require competent evidence of identity, meaning at least one valid government-issued ID such as the PhilID or the IBP ID, and authentication with at least two factors. Accredited facilities must run liveness detection and must block expired or invalid IDs.
4. A live appearance. You appear before the ENP in person, or by live videoconference inside the facility. Pre-recorded videos are strictly prohibited, and the notary must confirm by geolocation that everyone is in the Philippines.
5. A proper electronic signature. You sign through the platform with a secure electronic signature or a digital signature, not by pasting a picture of your signature onto the page.
6. A seal and a record. A notarial certificate with the ENP’s digital seal, an entry in the ENP’s Electronic Notarial Book, an automatic upload to the Supreme Court’s Central Notarial Database, and a way for anyone who receives the document to verify it.

Red flags

Most fake offers fail the list above in obvious ways. These are the ones to watch for:

• “No need to appear.” Appearance is the heart of notarization. Online, it means a live session with the notary, not a form.
• “Just send a video of yourself signing.” The Rules strictly prohibit pre-recorded videos. Everyone appears live.
• Your ID goes through chat or email. On an accredited facility, identity verification happens inside the platform, with a face scan, not by sending a photo of your card to a stranger.
• The “notarized” PDF has a picture of a stamp. A genuine eNotarized document carries a digital seal that can be checked. An image of a dry seal and a signature proves nothing. Here is how to verify an eNotarized document.
• Location doesn’t matter to them. Under the Rules, everyone has to be in the Philippines. The only exception is a principal inside a Philippine embassy or consular office, where an officer confirms they are there.
• Payment first, session never. On Twala, the notary requests payment only after performing the act.
• They offer to backdate, or to notarize a document with blanks. No legitimate notary does either, on paper or online.
• They say a regular notarial commission is enough. It isn’t, for electronic documents.

What a fake notarization costs you

A document that wasn’t properly notarized stays a private document. It doesn’t carry the presumption of regularity that a notarized document has, and the bank, office, or court you hand it to can refuse it the moment someone checks. You find out at the worst time: when the loan is being released, the property is being transferred, or the deadline is today.

There is a second cost. You may have sent a stranger a clear photo of your ID and a copy of your signature, which is a good start for anyone trying to open accounts in your name.

If you think you used one

• Don’t use the document. Have it notarized properly through an accredited facility.
• If you sent a photo of your ID, watch for accounts or loans you didn’t open, and consider reporting it to the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group or the NBI Cybercrime Division.
• If the person claimed to be a lawyer, you can report them to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

Our older guide to avoiding notary scams covers the paper-era versions of these tricks, many of which are moving online.

What the real thing looks like on Twala

You create a free account and verify your identity once: your National ID checked against the national registry, or another government-issued ID, then a face scan. You pick a commissioned ENP and one of their open times, and everyone on the document signs through Twala. At the session, you join from inside Twala, your location is checked, and the ENP confirms everyone’s details before performing the act. Only then does the notary request payment.

When it is paid, Twala adds the notarial certificate page and the ENP’s seal, enters the act in the notary’s register, and files it with the Supreme Court. You download a PDF that anyone can check on Twala’s verify page. If even one character changes afterward, it shows as Document tampered.

The full walkthrough is in how to notarize a document online, step by step, and the eNotary overview shows each safeguard.

Frequently asked questions

Can a lawyer with a regular notarial commission notarize documents online?

No. Electronic notarization requires an electronic notarial commission from the Supreme Court, and the act has to run through an accredited facility.

Is a notarization over Zoom or Messenger valid?

Not anymore. The pandemic-era interim rules on remote notarization of paper documents have been repealed. Remote appearance now happens by videoconference inside an accredited Electronic Notarization Facility.

How do I check whether a platform is accredited?

Check the Supreme Court’s own list, starting from its eNotarization page, rather than taking a website’s word for it. Twala was accredited on August 5, 2026, as one of the first three facilities.

Is online notarization safe when it’s done properly?

Yes, and in some ways safer than paper. We explain why in is online notarization safe.

For the bigger picture, start with our complete guide to eNotarization in the Philippines.

Twala is a Supreme Court-accredited Electronic Notarization Facility (ENF). Twala is a technology provider and does not give legal advice. Notarial acts are performed by commissioned Electronic Notaries Public.