1. Intro to Document Analysis
Target 4-1

2. Target 4-1
I can differentiate forgeries, fraud, and counterfeiting by describing the goals, methods, and investigation of each.

3. Forgery
A forgery is a document that has been altered or created with the intention of deceiving someone
Checks
Passports
Letters
Wills
Art

4. Types of Forgeries Erasure Addition Fabrication
Removing some or all of the contents of a document
Can be mechanical (rubbing out)
Can be chemical (bleaching)
Addition
Adding additional content into an existing document
Fabrication
Creating an entirely new document
Could be brand new or a copy of another document
Often, forgers attempt to create historical documents

5. Fraud
A forgery becomes a fraud if it is carried out with the intention of financial gain
Check forgeries
Wills
Art or literature sold as collectors’ items
A forgery is not considered fraud if it is carried out for personal gain only
Passports
Fake IDs
Personal correspondence

6. Counterfeiting
Counterfeiting refers to the specific crime of forging currency (money)
Can be bills or coins
Counterfeiting is usually considered a more serious offense than other forgeries

7. Anti-Counterfeit Measures
Most countries have added features to their currency with the goal of making counterfeiting more difficult.
US paper money contains:
Linen paper (softer and more difficult to obtain)
Security threads (printed threads woven into the paper)
Multiple special colored inks, including color-changing inks
Microprinting (tiny text embedded into the images)
Watermarks (faint text/images that are stained into the paper before printing)

8. Detecting Forgeries and Counterfeit
Target 4-2

9. Target 4-2
I can perform document analysis by testing inks, papers, and handwriting

10. Detecting Erasures Mechanical erasures damage the fibers in the paper
Can be detected under a microscope
Chemical erasures leave residue
Can be detected under UV light

11. Detecting Additions New content will behave differently under UV light
Different or newer ink will absorb light differently
Ink from different parts of the document can be tested with chromatography tests
Handwritten documents will undergo handwriting tests

12. Detecting Fabrications
If a document is suspected of being a fabricated forgery, the first step is to perform chemical tests on the ink and paper
Authentic historical documents will contain paper and ink materials of an appropriate age
Chromatography tests are used to separate and identify ink components for further testing
UV light and special solvents can identify residue from chemicals used to age papers
Handwritten documents undergo handwriting tests

13. Detecting Counterfeit Currency
Counterfeit-detecting pens
Special ink will react with starch (found in regular paper, but not linen currency paper)
Training bank and commercial staff to check for microprinting, watermarks, and color-changing inks
Global movement toward polymer (plastic) currency
Australia, Canada, and UK began printing polymer currency in 2016
US does not yet plan to transition to polymer currency