Practical 9

Aim- Detection of traced forgery.

Requirements-Transmitted light, model signature, questioned sample, standards, magnifying
glass, color pencils, etc.
Theory-
Forgery may be defined as the creation of any false written document or alteration of a genuine
one, with the intent to defraud.
Forgery may consist the filling up a blank on a document containing a genuine signature or
materially altering or erasing instrument. An underlying intent to defraud, based on knowledge
of the false nature of the instrument, must accompany the act. Modes of forgery may include
bills of exchange, bills of lading, promissory notes, checks, bonds, receipts, order for money or
goods, mortgages, discharges of mortgages, deeds, bonds, records, account books and certain
kind of tickets or passes for transportation or events etc.
Types of trace forgery-
1. Transmitted light
2. Carbon paper tracing
3. Butter paper tracing
4. Indented forgery
5. Projected light forgery

Traced forgeries are frequently passed as genuine by those who compare only the design and
outer appearance of letters and give little attention on their line quality. The most common
symptom of traced forgery is defective line quality that is indicating the manner in which the pen
was moved, stopped, lifted and the writing retraced and retouched etc. during the process of
tracing. While tracing the forger may be able to make the design or outline of the forged
signature similar to the model signature but the mere resemblance in the general design of letters
is not the sole criterion for the comparison of signature and declaring them to be identical, such
resemblance is given to them least importance vis-à-vis the writing habits and individual
characteristics.

Traced forgery normally shows: -

Hesitation
Pen lifts
Defective shading
Minute retouching
Slow writing
Blunt ends
Tremors

The signature and writing which are written in faster speed with rhythm and fluency in strokes
are most difficult to forge by the process of tracing. The forger never wants to deviate from the
model signature, which results in the marked decline in the rhythm and speed making detection
easy.
Procedure-
1. The model signature was collected.
2. The model signature is traced on to the fraud document using transmitted light by making
assembly like transmitted light- model signature- fraud document.
3. The signature was traced on to the fraud document using pen
4. The standards were collected.
5. The comparison of class and individual characteristics was performed.
Observation –Stick the samples and write the class and individual characteristics.
Opinion-After the careful comparison of questioned and standard sample, the signs such as
tremors, slow writing, hesitation marks, blunt ends, pen lifts are observed in questioned sample
which is not observed in standards. This is the indication that the questioned signature may be
performed by traced forgery.