Questioned Document Analyst
Mimi Le
Questioned Document
A questioned document is any signature, handwriting, typewriting, or mark whose source is doubtful.
Techniques used to analyze questioned documents
- Special lighting is used to reveal details about how a document was altered.
- Angled lights will show indents on the paper, such as if a signature was traced, and it shows roughness left on the paper after an eraser has been used.
- Back lighting makes areas where an eraser has been used turn lighter and the correction fluids dark.
Principle of individuality
Every machine has characteristics that are unique due to different environmental conditions or use.
Types of forgeries, alterations, and frauds
- counterfeiting
- signature forgery
- art forgery
- identity theft
- check fraud
Sample of Handwriting with Analysis
Each handwriting above is different because the top writing is majority lowercase and it has more lines. The bottom writing is all capitalized and less lines than the one above.