Forensic Document Examination

[Buela_Vigneswaran]

Forensic Document Examination

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Forensic document examination involves analyzing handwriting, signatures, printed materials, and altered documents to detect forgery, fraud, and document tampering. This field is essential in financial crimes, identity theft, and legal disputes.

1. Handwriting & Signature Analysis

• Compares questioned documents with known handwriting samples.
• Examines letter shapes, slant, spacing, and pressure variations to identify forgeries.
• Electrostatic Detection Apparatus (ESDA) reveals indentations left by writing on underlying pages.

2. Counterfeit Document Detection

• Identifies forged currency, passports, and legal documents.
• Uses UV light and infrared spectroscopy to detect fake security features.
• Ink and paper composition analysis helps determine authenticity.

3. Paper, Ink & Printing Examination

• Paper Analysis – Determines age, fiber content, and watermark authenticity.
• Ink Dating – Detects chemical changes in ink to estimate when a document was written.
• Printer and Typewriter Analysis – Identifies fonts, printing defects, and unique characteristics linking documents to specific machines.

Forensic document examination plays a vital role in fraud investigations and legal authenticity checks.