The state is cracking down on scam artists out to make an illegal buck off immigrants.

In New Jersey, a notary public is not a lawyer, however, Attorney General Anne Milgram said too many notaries are taking immigrants for a ride. According to Milgram?s office, a notary cannot give legal advice, prepare legal documents, claim to be an attorney or date paperwork before it?s signed.

?So, instead of charging $2.50 to put a notary stamp on a document, these people are portraying themselves as attorneys ? that, quite frankly is against the law,? Milgram said.

Milgram said the scamming notaries often charge more than $5,000 to process legal documents, such as immigration papers, but the work is never done. Milgram hopes educating people and asking victims to report suspected scammers will stop the imposters.

Immigrant advocates would also like to see the scammers be prosecuted.

Related Information:Notary Public To report a potential problem with a Notary Public, call: The Attorney General's Office: 1-800-242-5846 Email New Jersey Consumer Affairs For assistance with immigration papers, contact the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services by calling: 1-800-375-5383 NCSC