Forensic Science: Handwriting Analysis, Forgery, and Counterfeiting

Flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on handwriting analysis, forgery, and counterfeiting.

Questioned Document

Any document with handwriting that may be in question.

Document Analysis

Scientifically analyzing documents; analysts must first work as apprentices of experienced analysts. Voluntary certification available

ABFDE/BFDE

American Board of Forensic Document Examiners or Board of Forensic Document Examiners.

Handwriting Uniqueness Factors

Neurological coordination of brain and muscular impulses; Variation in handwriting affected by writing instruments, mood, drugs, alcohol, medications, age, and illness.

subtle distinguishing Characteristics

Letter form, line form, and formatting such as spacing and margins.

Steps in Analyzing Handwriting

Sufficient samples, obtain exemplars, compare characteristics, and peer review by trained analyst

Shortcomings of Handwriting Analysis

Quality of exemplar and subjectivity of the examiner. Relies on expertise of the examiner.

Forgery

A document made or altered with the intent to deceive.

Fraudulence and Motivation

Expectation of financial gain accompanying a forgery.

Methods to Prevent Check Forgery

Chemically sensitive paper, font size, high-resolution borders, and embedding fibers.

Literary Forgery

Forged piece of historical writing.

Art Forgery

Involves forging a work of art and selling it as an original.

Methods of Detecting Forgery

Mechanical erasures, spectroscopy, UV/infrared light, and burning rates.

Counterfeiting of Currency

Harmful to the economy; the $20 bill is the most commonly counterfeited banknote in the U.S. one note in every 10,000 is counterfeit

Counterfeit Currency Characteristics

Feels different and not printed on wood-fiber paper; special features are present in authentic currency.

Detecting Counterfeit Currency

Special pens containing iodine; Global movement to change currency to stock made of plastic - harder to counterfiet, more durable, less expensive

Counterfeit Items and Fraud

Products fraudulently marketed and sold as authentic brand-name products.

Project Zero

Launched by Amazon to try to get the sale of counterfeit items down to 0%.

Technological Advances in Analysis

Biometric signature pads- designed for identity authentification record signature data and biometric date, N-gram tracing, and infrared spectroscopy (IRR).