FORGERY
SIGNATURE
❖A legalistic definition of a signature is found in Black’s Law Dictionary The act of
putting one’s name at the end of an instrument to attest its validity; the name thus
written. A signature may be written by hand, printed, stamped, typewritten,
engraved, photographed or cut from one instrument and attached to another, and a
signature lithographed on an instrument by a party is sufficient for the purpose of
signing it; it being immaterial with what kind of instrument a signature is made.
FORGERY
❖ Forgery is a legal term requiring an element of intent to defraud.
❖ The ultimate decision whether a particular disputed signature or document is, in
fact, a forgery is a determination made by the trier of fact.
❖Not all non-authentic signatures are signed with the intent to defraud, e.g., spouses
authorized to endorse checks for deposit.
❖On the other hand, authentic signatures are many times found on documents
determined to be forged, e.g., where critical entries were altered or inserted after
the document was signed or where other pages of the document were replaced.
❖ Making of a false documents. The unauthorized signing of a signature without
authorization.
❖ Forging of currency is called counterfeiting.
❖ Forgery is defined in our Indian Penal Code (IPC) under section 464 which states that; Making a false
document. - A person is said to make a false document or false electronic record Who dishonestly or
fraudulently—
❖(a) makes, signs, seals or executes a document or part of a document;
❖(b) makes or transmits any electronic record or part of any electronic record;
❖(c) affixes any electronic signature on any electronic record;
❖(d) makes any mark denoting the execution of a document or the authenticity of the electronic signature
❖Punishment Of forgery is given in the IPC sec. 465. (2 years imprisonment or fine or both).
❖ Punishment of forgery of valuable will etc. is given in IPC sec. 467 (10 years imprisonment and shall be
liable to fine).
❖ Making a false document by
(1) Signing a fictitious name;
(2) Passing off an otherwise true document by false representations dehors the instruments
(3) Signing one's own name;
(4) Writing a false address or description to a true signature
❖ Tools of forgery may include bills of exchange, bills of lending, any notes of
promise, bank cheques, legal bonds, cash or payment receipts, money order or order
of goods, mortgages, discharges of mortgages, deeds, public records, account books,
and certain kinds of tickets or passes for transportation or events. The compositions of
forgery are making false documents, liability to legal systems, forger identification
and defraud intention.
TYPES OF FORGERIES IN QUESTIONED
DOCUMENTS
❖ Simple forgery
❖Simulation-
❖Forgery by memory
❖ Freehand Forgery
❖ Tracing
❖Direct tracing
❖Indirect tracing
❖ Electronic Forgery
❖ Spurious Signatures
❖ Impersonation
❖Forgery By Transplantation
Tracing
Impersonation Simulation
Forgery By
Transplantation Types Electronic
Forgery
Forgery by Freehand
memory Forgery
Spurious
Signatures
SIMPLE FORGERY/FORGERY BY
IMPERSONATION
❖ It is writing of another person’s signatures in the forger’s own style of writing without using disguised writing
❖ when a person merely writes/signs the name of another person in his own handwriting in normal manner /in
some modified manner , representing himself to be that person with some ulterior motive , such a signature is a
forgery .
❖ In case of Forgery by impression the position is however different. In this type of forgery the forger may just
write the signature of other person in his own handwriting without even knowing the style of writing of that
person . In such cases , it may be possible to trace out the forger by comparison of the spurious signature with
adequate specimen signatures of the suspect .
❖ Success and failure depends on the point of notice of forge.
❖According to the Oxford dictionary Impersonation is an act of pretending to be another person for the purpose
of entertainment or fraud.
❖Allograph Writings.
EXAMINATION AND DETECTION
IMPERSONATION
❖Observation and Competence of the Examiner.
❖Instruments- Hand Lens, projectina (rarely).
❖Questioned Sample and the admitted writings are compared.
❖Observing the master pattern.
TRACED FORGERY
➢Tracing is very crude method of forging the signature or handwriting.
➢At the end of the day, the counterfeiter has a model of the honest to goodness
genuine signature, which he may hold against a window, or use carbon paper or a
light box, and place another sheet of paper over the top, and actually follow the
line.
➢Under the process of act, numerous begins and stops the counterfeiter gains as he
checks his ground – called resting dots – which are promptly seen.
➢ Likewise, the forged written work is slower, and once in a while there is a
indentation in the paper, which can be seen close by the ink line
TYPES OF TRACED FORGERY
Types
Direct tracing Using Using carbon Using tracing
transmitted light paper paper
❖Direct tracing is the method where the forger uses direct original to trace in
signature in forged documents without using any aid.
❖Transmitted light: when a transmitted light is used beneath the document for the
tracing are classified as transmitted forgery.
❖Another way is to use carbon paper, carbon print is taken to forge document from
original and carbon is covered up by ink using pine.
❖By using tracing paper or butter paper, original signatures are traced by
indentation and then writing it with an ink pen to cover the indented part made to
document.
SIMULATED FORGERY
❖ In this type of forgery forger practices the genuine signature
and tries to imitate the same signature on other documents
❖ It is of two types-
[Link] hand forgery:- the forger selects a model signature or
writing and he tries to copy the design of letters and other broad
features depending on his skill , practice and competency.
[Link] by memory:- it refers to the writing or signature
prepared from the material from the mental impressions of forms
and letters of the signatures without any model signature or writing
before the forger at the time of forgery.
❖In Simulated forgery the forger makes attempt to imitate the writing habits and other feature
of the model signature. In this process he tends to controls his own writing habits to qualify the
model signature habits.
❖ However the forger may leave few elements of his writing habit but it is not possible to
leave all elements of his own writing habit which might be used against him.
❖The normal signatures of most writers consist of a relatively consistent speed of writing, skill
level, pattern of shading, subtle movement, break points, continuity, and pen position.
❖ A simulation generally differs from the genuine signature in some or all of these qualities.
Hesitation, unnatural pen lifts, patching, tremor, uncertainty of movement as portrayed by
abrupt changes in the direction of the line, and a stilted, drawn quality devoid of free, normal
writing movements combine to reveal the defective nature of a poor-quality simulation.
FORGERY OVER GENUINE SIGNATURE
❖ A document is said to be forged with a genuine signature when the content is made
at A different time and with an intent to defraud the author of the signature.
❖ It is of 2 types broadly-
❖ Where signature is taken on A blank paper
❖ Where original body is changed or removed
❖Types of cases-receipts, contracts, wills, acknowledgements, permissory documents,
money gifts, records, etc.
DETECTION AND EXAMINATION
❖ Magnification with grazing light
❖ UV fluorescence
❖ Stereomicroscope
❖ IR photography
❖ Microscopic examination
❖ VSC
❖ Fuming method
❖Condition of signature in terms of any unusuality in or around it
❖ Type technology of content and signature is matched in case of typewriters
❖Pen pressure, alignment, size, spacing and relation to margins of signature and content is checked along with other writing
characteristics
❖ Age of ink and strokes of content and signature is compared.
TRANSPLANTED FORGERY
❖ Transplanted forgery is the one in which genuine signature is transferred onto a document by use of –
❖ Photocopier
❖ Scanner
❖ Facsimile machine
❖ Photography
❖ In this transplantation refers to a document could be in form of signature or image when it is transferred from some genuine
source to a fraudulent document either by using computer or by photocopying.
❖ This is also called as copy paste document.
❖ This kind of transplantation is done for the purpose of financial status, job application, admissions etc.
❖ Divided into two types :
1. Soft copy transplantation
2. Hard copy transplantation
ELECTRONIC FORGERY
❖Electronic forgery is also closely related to the cut-and-paste forgery. In the
advanced computer era, the scan and-drop strategy has developed.
❖The PC gives the counterfeiter a strong weapon.
❖The falsifier basically digitizes a genuine signature by high resolution scanning, then
embeds it into the spurious archive and prints it.
❖Under the magnifying lens, in any case, the pixilation uncovers that it has been
digitized.
EXAMINATION AND DETECTION OF
TRANSPLANTATION
DOCUMENTS
❖ Various Techniques Which Help In Examination And Detection Of Transplantation
Documents Are –
➢VSC – 2000
➢ VSC – 5000
➢DOCUBOX Digital, Etc.
❖ Forgery Techniques In Digital Image Are
❖Copy Paste Forgery
❖Image Retouching
CHARACTERISTICS
❖Unnatural Hesitation ❖Context of signature
❖Uncertainty of movement ❖Lack of individuality
❖Pen pressure ❖Appearance of drawing
❖Blunt beginning and endings ❖Identically written signatures indicating
tracing
❖Unnatural pen lifts
❖Lack of rhythm
❖Patching
❖Abnormal changes of direction
❖Uncommon forms
❖Excessive attention of detail
❖Off scale writing