Document Examination“The handwriting on the wall may be a forgery”

—Ralph Hodgson, British poet

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Please Do Now Get a large white board and list 10 things that you think

can be forged (faked)

1. currency2. coins3. painting4. sculpture5. signature6. Baseball card7. stamp8. antique9. check10. movie

11. maps 12. passport 13. Birth certificate 14. diploma 15. Driver’s license 16. contracts 17. photos 18. identity 19. 20.

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What do you think a forensic document examiner can do?

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I. The Document Examiner

Involves the examination of handwriting, ink, paper, etc. to ascertain source or authenticity

Their work usually involves examining _________ and _____________ to determine the _________ or _______________ of a questioned document.

QUESTIONED DOCUMENT: any object with handwriting or print whose source or authenticity is in doubtWriting/markings on letters, checks, driver’s licenses,

contracts, wills, voter registrations, passports, petitions, lottery tickets, walls, windows, doors, etc.

handwritingtypescript sourceauthenticity

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The Document Examiner

Must be able to recognize efforts to alter documents through ____________, ___________ or ________________ of words to alter or obscure the original meaning of a document.Tries to recover the original contents of the writingMay reconstruct writing on charred or burned papersUncover the meaning of indented writings found on a

paper pad after the top sheet has been removed

Click to see video

overwriting erasures

crossing out

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The Document Examiner

Applies knowledge of microscopy, photography, chromatography to recognize and compare the individual characteristics of questioned and known authentic writings.

Thus, getting documents of known authorship or origin is critical to the outcome of the examination.

The uniqueness of handwriting makes this type of physical evidence, like fingerprints, one the few definitive individual characteristics available to the investigator.

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Questioned Documents

Involves the examination of handwriting, ink, paper, etc. to ascertain source or authenticity

Examples include letters, checks, licenses, contracts, wills, passports

Investigations include: verification, authentication, characterizing papers, pigments, and inks

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Related Fields Historical Dating — the verification of age and value

of a document or object

Fraud Investigation — focuses on the money trail and criminal intent

Paper and Ink Specialists — date, type, source, and/or catalogue various types of paper, watermarks, ink, printing/copy/fax machines, computer cartridges

Forgery Specialists — analyze altered, obliterated, changed, or doctored documents and photos

Typewriting Analysts — determine origin, make, and models

Computer Crime Investigators — investigate cybercrime

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Please Do Now

Click to Watch the video clip

A reenacted scene of a member of the Dutch resistance at work faking documents to fool the Germans.

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Forgery Videos

Click for video clip on Forgery Expert 4:27 min Click for Possible Picasso art forgery 4:04 min Why Fake History of Europe, Asia, Rome, Greece, Egypt

? 6 min

Van Meegeren, Master Forger 6:11 min Art Forger (John Myatt)his story 4:01min Mystery of the Mansoor Amarna Collection 9:59 min Document forgery ring busted 2:10 min

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The Mansoor Amarna Collection

Mystery of the Mansoor Amarna Collection 9:59 min

The Louvre behind the Mansoor Amarna Collection 2:35 min

Fred Stross and The Mansoor Amarna Part 1 8:12 min

Fred Stross and The Mansoor Amarna Part 2 7:26 min

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Legal Forgers/ Fakes

Legal art forger at work 1:38 min

Worlds most talented legal art faker Joachim Wittke Legal Fake Art on TV Prime Time 3:34 min M.C. Escher Spoofs 8:05 min

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II. Handwriting Comparisons The early stages of learning handwriting are

characterized by a conscious effort to copy standard letter forms.

However, as writing skills improve, nerve and motor responses associated with the act of writing become subconscious.

Zaner-Blaser method

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Handwriting Characteristics

Line Quality Word and Letter

Spacing Letter Comparison Pen Lifts Connecting strokes Beginning and ending

strokes

Unusual Letter Formation

Shading or pen pressure

Slant Baseline Habits Flourishes or

embellishments Diacritic Placement

( dot i’s, cross t’s,etc.)

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Handwriting

Handwriting analysis involves two phases:

1. The hardware — ink, paper, pens, pencils, typewriter, printers

2. Visual examination of the writing

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Handwriting Comparisons

Document experts continually testify to the fact that no two individuals write exactly alike.

Many factors comprise the total character of a person’s writing.Individual variations associated with mechanical,

physical, and mental functions make it extremely unlikely that any two people write identically.

Thus, the unconscious handwriting of two different individuals can never be identical.

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Variations in Handwriting Characteristics

AngularitySlopeSpeedPressureletter and word

spacing

relative dimensions of letters

connections pen movement writing skill and finger dexterity

Variations are expected in:

NATURAL VARIATIONS: Normal deviations found between repeated specimens of an individual’s handwriting.

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Other Variations in Handwriting Characteristics

The arrangement of the writing on the paper such as margins, spacing, crowding, insertions, and

alignment.

Spelling, punctuation, phraseology, and grammar can be personal and help to individualize the writer.

Furthermore, the writing style of one individual may be altered beyond recognition by the influence of drugs or alcohol.

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Handwriting Comparisons

No single handwriting characteristic can in itself be taken as the basis for a positive comparison.

The final conclusion must be based on a sufficient number of common characteristics between the known and questioned writing samples.

There are no hard and fast rules for a sufficient number of personal characteristics; it is a judgment call made by the expert examiner in the context of each case.

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Handwriting Samples The subject should not be shown the

questioned document

The subject is not told how to spell words or use punctuation

The subject should use materials similar to those of the document

The dictated text should match some parts of the document

The subject should be asked to sign the text Always have a witness

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Handwriting Exemplars

The collection of an adequate number of known writings (exemplars) is most critical for determining the outcome of a handwriting comparison.

Known writing should contain some of the words and combination of letters present in the questioned document and be adequate in number to show the range of natural variations in a suspect’s writing.

The writing implement and paper should also be alike.

The writing of dictation and several pages may serve to minimize attempts at deception.

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Handwriting Exemplars

This is a traced signature done following a genuine signature or overlaying a genuine signature and using transmitted light to follow the line of writing.

Genuine Mickey Mantle signature

SIMULATED FORGERY : made by copying an actual model or a mental image of a genuine signature.

http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/backissu/april2001/held.htm#Training%20of%20FBI%20Questioned%20Document%20Examiners

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*Methods of Forgery

Simulated forgery : one made by copying a genuine signature

Traced forgery : one made by tracing a genuine signature

Blind forgery : made without a model of the signature

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SIGNATURE FORGERY

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Types of Forgery Check Fraud

Forgery

Counterfeit

Alterations

Paper Money

Counterfeit

Identity

Social Security

Driver’s license

Credit Cards

Theft of card or number

Art —imitation with intent to deceive

Microscopic examination

Electromagnetic radiation

Chemical analysis

Contracts —alterations of contracts, medical records

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Famous Forgers + Forgeries Major George Byron (Lord Byron forgeries)

Thomas Chatterton (Literary forgeries)

John Payne Collier (Printed forgeries)

Dorman David (Texas Declaration of Independence)

Mark Hofmann (Mormon, Freemason forgeries)

William Henry Ireland (Shakespeare forgeries)

Clifford Irving (Howard Hughes forgery)

Konrad Kujau (Hitler Diaries)

James Macpherson (Ossian manuscript)

George Psalmanasar (Literary forgery)

Alexander Howland Smith (Historical documents)

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Collecting Handwriting Exemplars

Generally, material written within 2 - 3 years of the disputed writing is satisfactory for comparison. Why?

For most adults, basic writing changes are comparatively slow.

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Collecting Handwriting Exemplars

Gilbert v. California , Supreme Court uphheld the taking of exemplars before the appointment of counsel.Also ruled that handwriting samples are

identifying physical characteristics that lie outside Fifth Amendment protection.

United States. v. Mara, Supreme Court ruled that taking a handwriting sample did not violate Fourth Amendment rights (unreasonable search and seizure)

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Forensic Linguist

Experts that look at the linguistic content (the way something is written) of a questioned document.

Language that is used can help to establish the writer’s:

• age • level of education

• gender • professional training

• ethnicity • ideology

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III. Typewriters and Printing Devices

The two requests most often made of the examiner in connection with the examination of typewriters and printing devices are: whether the make and model of the typewriter and printing

devices used to prepare the questioned document can be identified.

whether a particular suspect typewriter or printing device can be identified as having prepared the questioned document.

In order to do this, the individual type character’s style, shape, and size are compared to a complete reference collection of past and present typefaces.

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Characteristics From Use of Typewriters and Printing Devices

As is true for any mechanical device, use of a printing device will result in wear and damage to the machine’s moving parts.

These changes will occur in a fashion that is both random and irregular, thereby imparting individual characteristics to the printing device.

The document examiner has to deal with problems involving business and personal computers, which often produce typed copies that have only subtle defects.

Another area of investigation relates to the typewriter ribbon, which may contain type impressions.

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Digital Technology In the cases of photocopiers, fax machines, and computer

printers an examiner may be called on to identify the make and model of a machine or to compare a questioned document with test samples from a suspect machine.

A side by side comparison is made between the questioned document and the printed exemplars to compare markings produced by the machine.

Examiners compare transitory defect marks, fax machine headers, toner, toner application methods, and mechanical and printing characteristics.

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Photocopiers

Transitory defect marks can develop from debris onthe glass plateninner covermechanical parts

These defect marks can become points of comparison

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Fax Machines

TTI (transmitting terminal identifier) header is at the top of each fax page Identifies where the fax originated fromThe TTI and the document’s text should have different

type stylesTTI can be fradulently made and put in the proper

position on a fax copy.Detected by a microscopic examination

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Determining Fax Machine’s Model Type

Start by analyzing the TTI type stleFonts are determined by the sending machineNumber of characters, their style and their position

in the header are best evaluated by checking a collection of TTI fonts in a database, such as from the American Society of Questioned Documets Examiners database

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Do A House Divided Lab

Hand out 6 shredded documents in zip lock baggies with the lab sheet.

When you have completed putting a document back together, let the teacher check it and then put in back in its proper numbered baggie.

Start another document.

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Determining Computer Printer Model

Requires extensive analysis of specific printer technology and type of ink used.By visual and microscopic techniques

Character shapes, toner differentiation and toner application methods are determined with a low-power microscope

Toner analysis involves identification of inorganic and organic components of the toner

Printers are usually either: Impact prints

EX. Thermal and dot-matrix printersNonimpact printers

EX. Ink jet printers and laser printers

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Typewriters

TWO questions to ask:1. Can the make and model of the typewriter used to

type the questioned document be identified?° Need a complete reference collection of past and present

typefaces used by typewriter manufactures.

2. Can a particular suspect typewriter be identified as having prepared the questioned document?° Need to compare questioned document to exemplars prepared form the suspect typewriter

*** May also look at the ribbon to check the type impressions left on it

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IV. Alterations, Erasures, and Obliterations

Documents are often altered or changed after preparation, to hide their original intent or to perpetrate a fraud (forgery).

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Which are the real stamps? The forgeries?

2nd row are all forgeries from different people

click

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Forgery of German Identity Card(made in a POW camp during WW II)

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Stamp made by etching aluminum with acid: the aluminum was cut from a camp cooking utensil.

(made in a POW camp during WW II)

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IV. Alterations, Erasures, and Obliterations

OBJECTIVE:

List some of the techniques document examiners use to uncover: alterations, erasures, obliterations, and variations in pen inks.

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“U.S. Take over of the Amazon Forest” Myth

Since 2000, a forgery has circulated falsely claiming that the United States and the United Nations have assumed control of the Amazon rainforest in order to safeguard its treasures for all mankind.

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IV. Alterations, Erasures, and Obliterations

Document examiners must deal with evidence that has been changed in several ways, such as through alterations, erasures, and obliterations.

Erasures by rubber erasers, sandpaper, razor blade or knife to remove writing or typing disturb the fibers of the paper and are readily apparent when examined with a microscope.

If an alteration is made to a document with ink differing form the original, it can sometimes be detected due to differences in the luminescence properties of the inks.

Obliteration of writing by overwriting or crossing out to hide the original writing can be revealed by infrared radiation, which may pass through the upper layer of writing while being absorbed by the underlying area.

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IV. Alterations, Erasures + Obliterations

Documents are often altered or changed after preparation, to hide their original intent or to perpetrate a fraud (forgery).

ERASURES: The removal of writing, typewriting, or printing from a document, normally accomplished by either chemical means or an abrasive instrument.

OBLITERATION: Blotting out or smearing over writing or printing to make the original unreadable.

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ERASURES Various methods used to erase parts of a document:

1. Using an India rubber eraser2. Sandpaper3. A razor blade or knife to remove writing by abrading or scratching the paper’s surface

Detected by microscopy:1. Using direct light2. Using side lighting (let light strike paper obliquely from one side)

Although microscopy detects erasure, it may not indicate the original letters or words present. WHY?

Too much of the paper has been removed

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ERASURES Detected by microscopy:

1. Using direct light2. Using side lighting (let light strike paper obliquely from

one side)

Although microscopy detects erasure, it may not indicate the original letters or words present. WHY?

Also detected by infrared luminescence — WHY?

Too much of the paper has been removed

Infrared luminescence reveals invisible residues of the ink that remained embedded in the paper.

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OBLITERATIONS

Words may be obliterated by chemicalsStrong oxidizing agent put on the ink produces a

colorless reaction product

Detected by microscopy -reveals discoloration of the treated area

under the paperUltraviolet (UV) or Infrared (IR) lighting - may

reveal discoloration of the treated area under the paper

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OBLITERATIONS

Illuminating a document with infrared (IR) light and recording the light reflected off the document with IR sensitive film allows the examiner to differentiate between different inks. (due to their ability to absorb IR light)NOTE: If the overwriting is done with the same ink as

used in the document, it is difficult if not impossible to detect.

Intentional obliteration of writing by overwriting or crossing out is rarely used fraudulently.

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How to Determine what was written on Charred Documents?

1. Infrared photography

2. Reflecting lighting off the paper’s surface at different angles in order to contrast the writing against the charred background.

Fig. 16-10, p. 569 3. Digital imaging — Digitize the image by a

scanner or a digital camera and then adjust by an image-editing program (ex. Adobe Photoshop) by lightening, darkening and color and contrast controls.

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V. Other Document Problems In certain situations, indented writings (partially visible

depressions underneath the visible writing) have proved to be valuable evidence.

It may be possible to determine what was written by the impressions left on a paper pad.

Applying an electrostatic charge to the surface of a polymer film placed in contact with a questioned document will visualize indented writings.

A study of the chemical composition of the ink used on documents may verify whether or not known and questioned documents were prepared by the same pen; and the paper itself may be analyzed.

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INDENTED WRITING (Fig. 16-13 +14 p. 572)

Are impressions left on paper positioned under a piece of paper that has been written on

Detected by:1. Oblique or side lighting2. Electrostatic detection apparatus (ESDA)

apply electrostatic charge to surface of polymer film touching the questioned document, then add toner powder to reveal indented writing

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INK COMPARISONHow to determine whether the ink on the known and

questioned document came from the same pen?Visible microspectrophotometer (see p. 250 Fig. 7-11)Chromatography (method that physically separates the

components of inks1. TLC — thin-layer chromatography (p. 574 Fig. 16- 15)

• U.S. International Ink Library — collection of more than 8500 inks maintained by the U.S. Secret Service and IRS (dates from 1920s with new pen and ink formulations added yearly)

2. Paper Chromatography 3. Tagged inks (U.S. Treasury Department’s voluntary

tagging programs of manufacturers dates ink to an exact year)

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Paper Chromatography of Ink

Two samples of black ink from two different manufacturers have been characterized using paper chromatography.

Retention Factor (Rf)

A number that represents how far a compound travels in a particular solvent

It is determined by measuring the distance the compound traveled and dividing it by the distance the solvent traveled.

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Do Ink Chromatography Lab

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Tools for Analyzing Paper

Click for video clip

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Features for Paper ComparisonFiber identificationGeneral appearanceColorWeightWatermarksAdditivesFillersDensityThicknessAge

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WATERMARKS

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Japanese specialty paper fibers

(100 x)

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Pencils

Lead Hardness Scale—a traditional

measure of the hardness of the "leads" (actually made of graphite) in pencils. The hardness scale, from softer to harder, takes the form ..., 3B, 2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H, 3H, 4H, ..., with the standard "number 2" pencil being of hardness 2H.

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PENCIL HARDNESS

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Write 5

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COUNTERFEITING MONEY

In 1996 the government starting adding new security features to our paper money due to the advanced copying technologies that have raised the incidences of counterfeiting.

The $20 bill entered circulation on October of 2003, followed by the $50 in September of 2004, and then the $10 in September of 2005.

Subtle background colors have been added along with other features to discourage counterfeiting.

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COUNTERFEITING MONEY

http://www.secretservice.gov/know_your_money.shtml

How to detect counterfeit money

The Features of the New $5 bill video

The new $20 bill

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Counterfeit Money Videos

The Counterfeit Millionaire 4:13 minThe Counterfeit Millionaire 2Counterfeit Money 2:25 minCounterfeit cash 2:16 minMan Arrested after spending counterfeit cash 2:34

min

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More aboutDocument Analysis

For additional information about document and handwriting analysis, check out Court TV’s Crime Library at:

lwww.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/literary/1.htm

Or forgery cases at:www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/scams/lincoln_forgers/index.html

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Click for video clip on Forgery, Lies and eBay

Click for Fakes on eBay

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Study Tips for the TEST

• Types of forgeries (signatures)• 12 Handwriting characteristics• What can a document examiner check?• How to identify a typewriter?• How to “see” writing that was invisible

to the eye?• How to compare paper - various ways