2. WHAT IS
FORGERY?
Forgery maybe produced under many processes
ranging from the mere writing of the name without
any attempt to resemble the genuine model signature
to the more complicated process of tracing or
simulation to produce a close resemblance or
facsimile of the genuine signature.
4. CATEGORIES OF FORGERY:
1. Simulated Forgery - Known as copied signature since it is a free hand
drawing in imitation of model writing. This is the most perfect forgery
in which not only the form but also the manner of writing is closely
imitated. Simulated forgery is also of two kinds:
• Simulated with model before the forger - the forger avails himself
of a model signature which he places before him in order to copy the
same.
• Simulated free hand forgery - in some instances where the forger
could not avail of a genuine signature as a model, he merely relies
from memory his recollection of the pattern of the signature which
he may have by virtue of long association or frequent transactions.
5. 2. Traced Forgery - is the result of an attempt to transfer to a fraudulent document an exact facsimile
of a genuine writing by some tracing process. It is intended to produce not only the form but also
the size, proportions and exact relations of all the parts of the original. Traced forgery is of three (3)
kinds:
• Carbon Process (Carbon Outline) - is that type whereby the forgery interleaves a carbon paper
between the genuine signature (top sheet) and the document intended to be forged (bottom
sheet).
• Indention Process (Canal-like Outline) - is that type whereby indentation or canal-like outline of
the genuine signature is produced on the fraudulent document (bottom sheet) by tracing the
outline of the genuine signature (top sheet) with considerable pressure with any sharp pointed
instrument.
• Transmitted light or projection process - is that kind whereby the fraudulent document is
placed immediately above the genuine document (signature) and with strong light directed
through the two superimposed sheets of paper from under, with transparent glass used as writing
surface. The outline which is seen through the upper sheet is then traced with any suitable writing
instrument.
7. 3. Simple Forgery (Spurious Signature) - the forger does not try to copy
a model writing but writes something that is ordinarily call a writing or
signature. For this, a forger uses a false name and makes a rapid stroke,
disturbing his usual writing by adopting a camouflage called
disguise.
° This is commonly used in fictitious personal case and invariably by the
check’s thief who steals, endorses and passes government, corporation or
company check or who procures printed check form, completes and
endorses same with fictitious signature in order to make it pass as
genuine.
° Comparison with two or more genuine ones is enough in arriving at a
preliminary finding of non-identity.
8. INDICATIONSOFFORGERY(SIMULATEDANDTRACED):
1. Tremulous and broken connecting
strokes between letters.
2. Hesitation and pen stops at
unusual places.
3. Unnatural pen lifts
4. No rhythm
5. No contrast between upward
and downward strokes.
6. Slow writing - angular
form and concealed joints.
7. Blunt beginning and ending
(Initial and terminal strokes).
8. Carefulness or unusual care
and deliberation.
9. Poor line quality.
10. Placement of critical marks
just over the stem of letters
11. Absence of spontaneity.
12. Misplaced shading.
13. Restrained writing - lack of
freedom
14. No variation in pen pressure. 15. Presence of carbon, pencil or
indentation along the lines of strokes.
Evidence of such forgery is manifest in the formal, broken, nervous lines, the uneven flow of the ink
and the often retouched lines and shades. The most common symptom of forgery is the quality of line, pointing
toward the manner in which the writing was made. But, it is not recognized and correctly interpreted by observers
who give attention to form only in a disputed writing. The evidence is unmistakable when studied with the aid of
the microscope.
9. BACKGROUNDPOINTERSREGARDINGSIMULATEDAND
TRACEDFORGERIES:
° The forger makes it difficult, if not altogether inaccessible to do his work in a skillful
manner brought about by:
1. Awareness that forgery is a crime;
2. Fear of discovery and the penalty therefore, and
3. Anxiety to do the work well.
° For one to be able to forge successfully, the forger:
1. Must be able to decipher the significant handwriting characteristics of the
person whose signature is being simulated;
2. must be able to eliminate all his handwriting characteristics; and
3. must have the muscular skill necessary to produce the writing being imitated.
10. ° Adjusting one’s writing impulse is disturbed when muscles become tense as a result of extra effort to
produce a good forgery and the best result can only be achieved when muscles are somewhat relaxed
so that all work together in harmonious relation to each other.
° Simulation as well as tracing gives attention to CONSPICOUS FEATURES OF FORM ONLY and
not to the many other details entering into the process of genuine writing.
° Where too much attention is given to form and the process of writing itself, the condition becomes
such that:
1. the forger will find even his own handwriting is very difficult to write in a free natural manner;
and
2. will find that imitating a writing successfully is much more difficult to do.
° Where form characteristics are not even good enough as done by the forger, then forgery fails in the
very elementary process. Writing that is slow and hesitating as produced by interrupted, changing
movement impulse is more easily imitated, for its manner of production is similar to that of imitation
process.
° If the forger possesses a skill superior to that of the genuine writing, the forgery may show a higher
degree of muscular skill and control than the writing being imitated.
11. “The most basic and
fundamental defect in
forgery is not as is correctly
thought of by many, a
divergence in form, but the
quality of line or stroke
showing tremors
(fraudulent), hesitations,
stops at unusual places
indicating a poor and
defective line quality.”
12. TRACING
is resorted to by a forger who lacks the necessary skill required in a free hand
imitation.
is a clumsy one as it is usually a poor piece of work and the easiest to detect
because it is not actually writing but a drawing. It is intended to reproduce
not only the form but also the size, proportions and exact relation of all the
parts of the original including minute details of each line, strokes and even a
dot - being followed closely as allowed by the method employed and the skill
of the operator will permit.
Traced forgery usually shows a decrepit, hesitating quality of line, hesitations
as shown by pen stops at unusual places, abnormal changes of direction of
strokes, inconsistent pen premature and an unnatural movement,
interruptions in a more obvious manner than simulation, suspicious pen lifts,
disconnections and careful joinings
13. Traced forgery will probably be defective
in one or more of the following
particulars:
° natural movement, freedom and speed of
writing;
° quality of line of strokes;
° pen lifts, retouching and shading;
° selection of model signature;
° pencil, carbon or indentation outline
pointing to a tracing process;
° practical identity of the questioned
signatures or writings with a genuine model
Some methods used in illustrating traced
forgeries are:
° Actual measurement of the signatures to
illustrate identity;
° Superimposition of the signatures by
transmitted light;
° Taking photographs of the signatures and
producing transparencies as to easily
superimpose one over the other;
° Taking photograph of the signatures under
transparent glass plates (having uniform ruled
squares) as to show all parts agreeing within said
squares;
° Taking photographs of signatures with various
lines drawn over the photographs to show
identical measurement.
14. ALTERATIONS IN DOCUMENTS:
ALTERATIONS
are changes which usually affect the original meaning of a document,
made either at the stage of preparation and are already parts of the
document when it is signed, sealed and witnessed or fraudulently
altered after its execution.
The alteration should be considered in a thorough and careful manner
to be able to determine what the reasonable inference is from all the
facts. It therefore, becomes necessary to distinguish that which is
fraudulent from that which is a genuine alteration.
An obvious necessary change in a document often is evidence not of fraud but of genuineness. A delicate and partly
concealed change may be very suspicious. Fraudulent change naturally, is made in a hidden manner and it may never be
discovered if special attention is not directed to this subject.
15. Alterations are made in any of the following manners:
1. Erasure – It may be done through:
• Mechanical – by rubbing of with rubber eraser or scrapping with sharp
instrument, and
• Chemical – by directly applying ink eradicator or other bleaching solutions on ink
lines.
2. Addition – Any matter made as part of the document after its original preparation
that altered or changed the original meaning of the document may be referred to as
addition.
3. Substitution - Changing the original meaning of a document by substituting the
whole genuine sheet or page with fraudulent one where a document consists of
more than one sheets or pages.
16. 4. Interlineation or Intercalation – insertion of words or
phrases between lines or paragraph.
5. Obliteration – the blotting out or smearing over the writing
to make the original writing invisible or indecipherable.
17. TREMORS
• Is a characteristic in writing showing irregular
shaky lines that deviate from uniformed strokes.
• These maybe due to lack of skill on the part of the
writer; to self-consciousness during writing process;
or to hesitation which is the result of copying or
imitating process.
• Lack of smoothness - tremor maybe due to
uncontrollable nervousness on the part of the
writer or in illiterate writing.
• Clumsiness - partly due to lack of clear mental
impressions of the form which is being made.
• Tremor of age, of illiteracy and of weakness is not
always distinguished from each other, but can
usually distinguish from tremor of fraud.
18. 1. Tremors of age and extreme weakness:
° Show unusual and erratic departures of the line from its
intended course, and of movements beyond the control
of the writer, particularly in downward strokes.
° Genuine weak or decrepit writing frequently shows
awkward digression or distortion, which maybe due to
imperfect sight; and general irregularity caused by
involuntary tremor.
° Signatures showing tremor of age often show very
uneven alignment and may disregard entirely a line near
which they are written, especially if the first line is
indistinct.
° Old age writing indicating lack of muscular control does
not usually show fine continues hairlines, but many
strokes are rough and are made with considerable
pressure.
2. Tremors of illiteracy:
° The changes of direction are not apt to be as numerous
as in tremor of age or weakness, and in this writing
omission of parts of letters or strokes are not common.
° Illiterate tremor is characterized by a general irregularity
that is not due to weakness but to lack of skill and
mental uncertainty, resulting from unfamiliar with the
whole writing process.
° Illiterate writing even on ruled paper, frequently shows a
pronounce irregularity in alignment, some of it being
above the line and some through the line, or the word
may each go up from the line so that the end of each
word is higher than the beginning.
° Disconnections or pen lifts between letters and words
maybe due to lack of movement control.
KIND OF TREMORS :
a. Natural Tremors – consist of the following:
19. b. Tremor of Fraud:
Writing is smooth and strong and shows no tremulous strokes.
Inequality in movement at any place in any stroke or line, with too strong and vigorous
combined with weak, hesitating strokes.
Frequent interruptions in movement, unequal distribution of ink in upward and downward
strokes and especially the varying pen pressures due to changes in speeds and interruptions
in movement.
Shows striking inconsistently with itself in movement and thus contains evidence of
unnaturalness that indicates a lack of genuineness without comparison with any other
writings.
Carefully drawn from the extreme beginning to the very end.
Contains delicate and unnecessary retouching and repairing of fine lines, which mark it as
undoubtedly spurious.
