Laboratory Examination of Counterfeit and Fraudulently Altered Documents (2024)

FAQs

How does a forensics document examiner determine if a document has been altered after it was originally made? ›

Defining Altered Document

A document examiner will use a variety of techniques including alternate light sources, magnification, detection of indented impressions, side lighting, transmitted lighting, and others in a non-destructive method to examine the document for characteristics indicative of alterations.

Analytical methods to detect counterfeits includes using a microscope and alternate light sources to observe printing processes, microprinting, laminates, substrates, and security fibers. Chemical and additional instrumental processes can be used as well.

Under common law, forgery is a crime committed when a person creates or alters a legal instrument with the intent to defraud. False documents are frequently used to describe forged records, and counterfeit is used to describe forged money or currency. [Last updated in December of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]

Forgeries are defined as any deliberate alteration of a document made with intent to deceive. The term forgery is used when a genuine document has been altered by deletion, addition, or substitution.

Inconsistencies in fonts, sizes, or colors can be a clear giveaway of document fraud. For example, if a document contains multiple font types or the alignment seems off, it could indicate that a fraudster has tampered with the original copy. Documents altered to change the date can also be a sign of fraud.

Document examiners are also called upon to examine alterations in documents such as erasures, addition of material, obliterated writing, and charred documents. Such work involves chemical analysis as well as physical and observational techniques.

Once you receive an item, look for signs that it may be counterfeit, such as irregular brand markings; missing “use by” dates, safety seals, or markings; and missing warranty information. Verify the item's serial number by checking the manufacturer's website.

The act of possessing false, forged, or counterfeit documents intended to defraud the United States is a federal crime under Title 18 U.S.C. 1002.

What are the consequences of falsifying medical records? ›

The office can be charged with a False Claims Act violation or other forms of fraud. The perpetrator may even be charged with forgery, which is chargeable as a felony. Medical offices that falsify medical records can also face civil liability from insurers, government agencies, and even patients.

Forgery is the act of creating, altering, or using fake documents, signatures, or other items with the intent to deceive or defraud others.

—Who dishonestly or fraudulently causes any person to sign, seal, execute or alter a document or an electronic record or to affix his ² [electronic signature] on any electronic record knowing that such person by reason of unsoundness of mind or intoxication cannot, or that by reason of deception practised upon him, he ...

Falsification is the act of deliberately lying about or misrepresenting something. If you write a note to your teacher excusing your absence the day before and claim it was written by your dad, that's falsification.

Metadata can help investigators determine if files have been altered since they were first created or if they were written at all – something that may not be easily found through other means such as timestamping or hashing algorithms (which are discussed later).

A technique that you can use to determine if the extension of a file has been changed is signature analysis. Signature analysis is a technique that uses a filter to analyze both the header and the contents of the datagram, usually referred to as the package payload.

To determine whether a document is genuine, an examiner may attempt to confirm who created the document, determine the timeframe in which it was created, identify the materials used in its preparation or uncover modifications to the original text.

In [49] four types of alterations are identified: translation, scale change, rotation and perspective (change) (see Figure 27).