(HACF) Analysis of Questioned Document Evidence Lesson

Analysis of Questioned Document Evidence

Forensic investigators are trained in a wide range of basic procedures, but when a questioned document is recovered, a Forensic Document Examiner is called in to actually perform the document analysis. Forensic Document Examiners use their extensive training and expertise to make detailed analyses of the document in question and generally provide expert testimony during trials about the documents they analyzed. In this lesson, we will look at some of the methods used in the forensic examination of questioned documents including typewritten, handwritten, printed, copied and faxed documents.

When presenting evidence in court, a document examiner must follow the "Best Evidence Rule". This is a rule that governs the admissibility of document evidence. Generally, only the original document is admissible unless a reasonable explanation can be provided as to why the original document is not available. Therefore, it is imperative that the collection of document evidence be conducted in a precise and cautious manner so that it is admissible to court as evidence.

Questioned Document Collection Guidelines

1. Never mark, fold, staple, clip, trim, annotate or otherwise change anything on a document because it can hinder the document examination!
2. Most paper documents can be submitted in manila evidence envelopes that are slightly larger than the document itself.
3. Always label the evidence envelope with all of the required case identifying information before placing the questioned document into the envelope. If information is written on the envelope after placing the document in it, the writing on the envelope will be indented into the questioned document!
4. If it is too big to submit to the lab, careful photograph and video documentation of the writing should be made. A ruler should be placed next to the writing in the photograph for scale.
5. Wet or bloody documents should be sealed in a plastic, or semi-airtight, container and taken to the lab as soon as possible. The liquid or blood can erode any writing on the document as well as cause the document to stick together. Also, the blood will need to be tested for serological evidence!

Interactivity: Document Analysis

Alterations, Erasures, and Obliterations

Often times only part of a document is modified. The methods used to change a document are generally called alterations. Alterations are modifications made to a document by physical, chemical, or mechanical means including, but not limited to, obliterations, additions, and erasures.

Obliterations are a type of alteration involving removal of writing by physical or chemical means. They are made by using a chemical to remove the original text or by blacking out the original text completely. Examples of this include drawing repeated lines through a word or phrase so that it can no longer be read clearly or by writing over an original part of the document to change a letter, number, word or phrase. See the example to the right.

Additions are usually accomplished by adding content with similar ink or print to change the original context. An example would be to change the amount of a $10.00 check to a $110.00 check by adding the extra number one. In the image, one hundred dollars was added to the amount of the check. Under normal lighting, this was not obvious, but when viewed under infrared lighting, it is obvious that the addition was written in a different ink. See examples to the left.

Erasures are the most common technique used to modify a document. Erasures are a type of alteration where material has been removed from a document by chemical, abrasive, or other means. Erasing pencil writing with an eraser is an example familiar to nearly everyone, but ink can also be erased chemically by dissolving or bleaching the ink from the paper. Erasures can be detected by either microscope in the case of physical erasures or by using different light sources, such as UV or Infrared light, to detect color differences common in chemical erasures. It is sometimes impossible to detect what was erased from a document, but if the content is only partially erased, a Forensic Document Examiner would most likely be able to recover the content.

As mentioned above, alterations can sometimes be detected by using an alternate light source such as Ultraviolet or Infrared light. Some inks actually absorb and radiate the infrared light, making the original text legible. Additionally, infrared photography is sometimes useful on documents that have been accidentally or intentionally charred. A charred document is any document that has been darkened and made brittle due to exposure to excessive heat or fire. Documents cast into a fire that are quickly retrieved before they are completely burned or that did not burn completely for various reasons may have recoverable content despite their darkened and fragile appearance. Charred documents are also common in house fires and can yield evidence in cases of arson if a document is dropped by the person committing the arson.

Forgery, Fraud, and Counterfeiting

Forgery is the making, adapting, or falsifying of documents or other objects with the intention of deceiving someone. Most often one thinks only of forgery as pertaining to checks, but other documents such as employment records, licenses, wills, and other legal agreements can be forged. Forged signatures are a common issue that document examiners come across; the signatures are most commonly traced or written free hand as seen in the image.

Common types of forgery include:

Counterfeiting - Production of imitation currency, art, documents and products.

Fraud - Forgery done for material gain.

Literary Forgery - Refers to writing, such as a manuscript or a literary work, which is either deliberately misattributed to a historical or invented author, or is a purported memoir presented as genuine.

Counterfeiting

Counterfeiting is the production of imitation currency, works of art, documents, and name-brand look-alikes for the purpose of deception. Some common items that are counterfeited include:

• Paper currency
• Postage stamps
• Traveler's checks
• Handbags
• Shoes
• Computer Accessories
• Watches/jewelry
• Pharmaceuticals
• CDs/DVDs ("Bootleg")

While counterfeiting of products generally fall under various levels of local and state law enforcement, counterfeiting of currency is actually under the jurisdiction of the Secret Service! The Secret Service works with local, state and national law enforcement agencies to investigate cases of counterfeiting of US or foreign currency because it is seen as a threat to national financial security for currency to be counterfeited. They are also tasked with monitoring investigations and situations involving fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and computer crimes such as hacking of major websites.

How are forgery and counterfeiting detected?

It is estimated that check fraud and counterfeiting costs the United States between 10-14 million dollars per year. The Federal Reserve has published several suggestions that may help prevent such loss. When trying to determine if a check is real, one of the easiest observations is to see if one side of the check is perforated. The numbers at the bottom of the check also have meaning including the bank identification, account number, and a routing number. Also, when checks are printed some prevention methods may include chemically sensitive paper, high resolution borders, and embedded fibers. Counterfeiting of products can be tough to identify as those producing the imitation products have gotten more sophisticated in their methods.

Here are some ways to detect and avoid counterfeit products:

1. Look for security features such as the color changing reflective stickers found on genuine Ugg shoes.
2. Examine the item in person before you buy it rather than relying on someone else's word. If it is an expensive item, you should have an expert inspect it before paying for it.
3. Buy items from reputable stores and dealers, but beware that just because a store posts a sign to say they sell authentic brand merchandise does not mean that all stores are honest in their advertisements!
4. Check reviews and consumer reports for retailers before buying!
5. Avoid items that seem drastically underpriced. An $80 bottle of perfume in the store should not be discounted to $10 online! Customer and consumer report website reviews will often shed light on the "too good to be true" price!
6. Avoid risky sellers such as those going out of business, door to door salesmen, street vendors etc.
7. Purchase the item with a credit card rather than cash or check because you can dispute a charge with the credit card company on the basis that the product was misrepresented.

Checking for Literary Forgery

When trying to determine if a historical document is authentic some things an investigator will look at are:

1. The age of the paper
2. The type of ink that would have been used at the time
3. The style that would have been common at the time

Detecting Counterfeit Money

Over the years there have been several series of paper currency. With each new series there has been enhanced security features added. Some of the security features of modern US currency include:

1. Red and blue fibers embedded on the currency.
2. Watermark of the historical figure portrayed on the bill.
3. Multi-colored background.
4. Borders and the portrait consist of a very fine print that will become blurred if copied.
5. Lower right corner has the denomination of the bill printed in color shifting ink which changes color when viewed at different angles.
6. All bills printed since 2008 have security strips embedded except the $1 bill. In a five dollar bill, the security strip glows blue in UV light and is used as one of many measures used when evaluating currency for authenticity.
7. Microprinting, or printing of words, numbers or pictures not obvious to the unaided eye, is used in various places on the bill.
8. Federal Reserve Indicators and serial numbers are on each bill.

One of the most prolific fraudsters was Frank Abagnale Jr. He left home at the age of 16 and used his criminal talents in fraud to alter his driver's license to make him appear older, fabricated various degrees and licenses to obtain jobs as an airline pilot on Pan Am Airlines, as a pediatrician in Georgia and as a lawyer! He wasn't caught until the age of 21 in France where he had schemed and defrauded banks across 12 countries of Europe of more than $300,000! He served his time and was released on parole at the age of 26 after several prison escapes! In exchange for his release, the FBI asked that he teach them his methods of evasion, document forgery, embezzlement, and check swindling so that they could catch others attempting the same crimes. He went on to work for the FBI as an employee for 30 years as an expert in these areas! He wrote a book about his time as a fraudster called "Catch Me If You Can". Steven Spielberg made the book into a movie under the same title in 2002 with Leonardo DiCaprio starring as Frank Abagnale Jr.

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