Handwriting Analysis, Forgery, and Counterfeiting Questioned Documents Handwriting Analysis, Forgery, and Counterfeiting

Document Analysis = the examination and comparison of questioned documents with known material Questioned Document = any signature, handwriting, typewriting or other written mark whose source or authenticity is in dispute or uncertain

Document Experts Examine and compare questioned documents with known material (exemplar) Investigate handwriting, computer printouts, commercial printing, paper, and ink

Document Experts (cont.) Study threatening, ransom, or suicide notes Can help identify a document’s author NOT a “graphologist”, who studies the personality of the writer based on handwriting samples

Handwriting Analysis Every person’s handwriting is unique and personalized Can differ due to type of writing instrument, mood, age or stress 12 major characteristics of handwriting

Handwriting Examination Determine authorship Compare questioned document with exemplar (known sample) Forgeries are documents made, adapted or falsified with intention to deceive someone

Analyzing a Handwriting Sample Suspect provides writing sample (without knowing it will be used for comparison) Letters, diaries, greeting cards, personal notes Contains several words that appear in questioned document Compare characteristics

Technology Naked eye / handheld lens / microscope Biometric signature pads – computer pad recognizes signature based on speed, pressure and rhythm of signing name Forensic Information System for Handwriting (FISH) – computerized handwriting database maintained by Secret Service

Forgery Process used by criminals to make, alter, or falsify a person’s signature or another aspect of a document with the intention to deceive another

Forged documents can include: Checks Employment records Legal agreements Licenses Wills Fraudulence is forgery done for material gain.

Check forgery can include: ordering another’s checks from a deposit slip altering a check intercepting another’s check, altering, and cashing it creating a check from scratch

Preventing Check Forgery Print checks on chemically sensitive paper Use a large font size that requires more ink and makes alterations more difficult Use high-resolution borders on the checks that are difficult to copy Print checked in multiple color patterns Embed fibers in checks that glow under different types of lights Use chemical-wash detection systems that change color when a check is altered

Literary Forgery Letters or other documents written by famous people can be very valuable: Adolf Hitler (signature: $2000) Albert Einstein (letter: $404,000) Charles Darwin (letter: $20,000) Abraham Lincoln (1864 letter: $3.4 million) Theodore Roosevelt (letter: $8500)

Reagan letter called a forgery (2/11/06) “A red-faced auction house was forced to withdraw a letter it believed was written and signed by the late President Ronald Reagan while he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease after it discovered it was a forgery.” “The auction house thought the letter could fetch as much as $9,000.” Forged letter from Ronald Reagan. The forger traced over a copied form letter with a heavy felt-tip pen, which Reagan often used.

The best literary forgers aim to duplicate the original document by using materials similar to those used for the original: old paper chemically treated materials to fake an older look inks mixed from substances that would have been used at the time watermarks that add the appearance of age tools and styles that would have been popular at the time

False documents or other items copied for the purpose of deception Counterfeiting False documents or other items copied for the purpose of deception

Counterfeiting Counterfeiting money is a crime stretching back into ancient times. Items most often forged today include: currency traveler’s checks food stamps certain bonds postage stamps

Know Your Money Following the Civil War, it was estimated that 1/3 to 1/2 of the currency in circulation was counterfeit. The Secret Service was established in 1865 to suppress counterfeiting. In 1901, the Secret Service was tasked to protect the President. www.secretservice.gov

Counterfeit Marking Pen (Iodine) Most papers contain starch (turns brown/black with iodine pen) Real currency: no starch (stays yellow with iodine pen)

Design Features of 1996 Issued Currency Inscribed security thread Microprinting (ex: “United States of America” along portrait) Off-center portrait Watermark of figure Optically variable ink (green to black)

William McKinley, $500 Grover Cleveland, $1000 James Madison, $5000 Salmon Chase, $10,000

Facts and Figures Interpol and U.S. law enforcement agencies estimate that companies lose $400 billion to $450 billion annually to counterfeiters. Counterfeiting is perceived as a victimless crime and it is difficult to inspire public outrage. Bulk mailing letters from banks, financial organizations, credit card companies offering services and bearing a signature of an officer of the company are used by forgers to create authentic-looking documents.

Facts and Figures Gatherings of a large numbers of people are ideal for the passing of fraudulent checks and counterfeit money. It has been estimated that at the Atlanta, XXVI Olympic Games in 1996, there were over $4 million fraudulent travelers checks alone not to mention the printing of bogus tickets for events. Overcrowding (and the resulting problems) at some sporting events with limited ticket sales were due in part to the use of counterfeit tickets bought from con men and scalpers.

Facts and Figures States with problems of illegal immigration are a boon to counterfeiters of birth certificates. Computer printers are of sufficient quality to reproduce nearly anything that can be printed. This includes birth certificates, gift certificates, checks, driver’s licenses, car titles and even college transcripts. Travelers’ checks are issued by five major companies—American Express, Barclays, Visa, Citibank, and Thomas Cook. These companies have hidden images in their documents making counterfeiting difficult.