As one of Florida’s premier process service agencies, Accurate Serve® understands the importance of hiring a trustworthy and reliable process server. Unfortunately, not all process servers are legitimate, and it can be difficult to differentiate between real and fake ones. In this post, we’ll provide some tips to help you identify if a process server is real or fake.
Check their Certification
One of the most important things to look for when hiring a process server is their certification. In Florida, all process servers must meet the certification requirements of the judicial circuit or county in which they operate. For example, in the 20th Judicial Circuit, which includes Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades, and Hendry counties, process servers must be certified by the 20th judicial circuit, which includes completing an approved training course.
Before hiring a process server, ask to see their certification. You can also check the FAPPS website to verify their certification. If a process server is not certified, or if they cannot provide proof of their certification, they may be fake.
Research Their Reputation
Another way to determine if a process server is real or fake is to research their reputation. Check online reviews and ratings to see what previous clients have said about their experience with the process server. You can also ask for references and contact previous clients directly.
If a process server has a poor reputation, or if they are unable or unwilling to provide references, they may be fake.
Verify Their Identity
When a process server arrives to serve you with legal documents, don’t be afraid to ask for their identification. Legitimate process servers will carry identification that clearly shows their name and company, as well as a photo of themselves. In fact, in Florida, certified process servers are required to carry valid ID. If the process server is unable or unwilling to provide identification, they may be fake.
Check Their Service Area
Finally, it’s important to ensure that the process server is qualified to operate where you need service. Certification in one of Florida’s judicial circuits or counties does not qualify a process server to work in any other judicial circuit or county. That means that if you live in Charlotte County but need a summons served in Sarasota County, you’ll need to find a process server certified in the 12th judicial circuit instead of the 20th. Using a process server only certified in the 20th judicial circuit to serve processes outside the 20th Circuit makes the service invalid.
Southwest Florida’s Best Process Service Agency
Hiring a qualified process server is critical to ensuring that your legal documents are served correctly and legally. By following the tips above, you can rest assured that you have hired a reliable and trustworthy process server, like those here at Accurate Serve® of Ft. Myers, Labelle, Naples, and Port Charlotte. We’re ready to help you with all of your service of process, document retrieval, skip tracing, and diligent search needs in southwest Florida. Just call us at 239-822-7299 or send us a work request online. Need service outside of the 20th judicial circuit? No problem! Just visit theaccurateservefranchise.com to find an office near you.
