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Is the signature forgery?
From:
Michael N. Wakshull --Forensic Document Examiner Michael N. Wakshull --Forensic Document Examiner
For Immediate Release:
Dateline: Temecula, CA
Wednesday, April 22, 2015

 

A document examiner is not able to declare a signature or document is a forgery! Since forgery requires intent to deceive this opinion is not for the document examiner to offer. The questioned document examiner may opine whether the signature is authentic or not authentic. Forgery is for the trier of fact to determine.

Your document examiner must view the writing under magnification in order to ascertain whether it is written I ink or is printer mechanically.

Given the capability of modern low cost printers, a signature printed on a mechanical device may appear to be ink. Software such as Adobe Photoshop may be used to lift a signature from one document and place it onto another document. The second document is then printed on a color printer. The result may appear as a legitimate document

Is the document authentic or a forgery?

Is it a forgery?

Is the document authentic?

The example above shows how a signature can be lifted from one document and placed onto a second document. If the document examiner does not have proper equipment to examine the document, they may opine the signature and document are authentic. The signature from the tax form was lifted then placed onto a scanned image of the check. The check could then be printed on a color printer, then sent to a merchant for product.

On cross examination you may want to ask the document examiner whether they made an attempt to authenticate the document or determine whether the signature was written in ink.

About the Author: Michael Wakshull, president of Q9 Consulting, is a civil and criminal court-qualified forensic document examiner providing services throughout the U.S. Cases include authentication of handwritten and computer-generated documents. Wakshull holds a Master of Science in technology management, a graduate school certificate in forensic document examination and has spoken at the World Congress of Forensics in China. He authors and presents document examination courses for minimum continuing legal education (MCLE). Wakshull is a member of the National Association of Document Examiners, president of the San Diego Chapter of Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA), ASTM International, and a senior member of the American Society for Quality.

A National Speakers Association member, he is available to speak on these subjects.

News Media Interview Contact
Name: Michael N. Wakshull
Title: Forensic Document Examiner
Group: Q9 Consutling, Inc.
Dateline: Temecula, CA United States
Direct Phone: 1-951-252-4929
Cell Phone: 805-501-3388
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