Handwriting Analysis & Questioned Documents

EXEMPLAR

a known sample of a person's writing used for comparison with a questioned document

LINE HABIT

the patterns and characteristics of how a person writes their lines on paper

PEN PRESSURE

the amount of force applied by a writer when using a pen

FRAUD

an act of deception used to gain financial or personal benefit

FREEHAND

someone signing another person's name in their own signature with no attempt to disguise it

TRACING

copying a signature or other writing by tracing over the original

DISGUISED WRITING

deliberate attempt by a someone to alter their handwriting in a way that conceals their identity

COUNTERFEIT

the fraudulent imitation of a currency or product

CURRENCY

form of payment for goods or products issued by a bank

FISH

Forensic Information System for Handwriting.

maintained by the US Secret Service; it enables document examiners to scan, digitize, and store handwriting exemplar

WATERMARKS

an identifier that's embedded into a digital file to protect it from piracy and unauthorized use

INFRARED

used to analyze the chemical composition of inks and papers. can identify what type of ink was used, if it came from a printer or not, if it has been tampered with, etc.

RANSOM

a consideration paid or demanded for the release of someone or something from captivity

COURT OF APPEALS

any state or federal court that hears from lower trial and appeals courts and determines if law was applied fairly and correctly

HANDWRITING EXPERT

someone trained to compare questioned handwriting or a questioned signature with a set of samples