Forensic:

Questioned
Document
Examination
CHAPTER IV
How to Detect Forgery

Objectives:
By the end of this chapter, the
students should be able to:
• Detect forgery through Handwriting;
• Identify different Handwriting movements;
• General classification of Handwriting
movements; and
• Guidelines in examination of signatures.
 CHAPTER IV
Detection of Forgery
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CHAPTER IV
Handwriting

It is the result of a very

complicated series of acts,
being on a whole, a
combination of certain forms
of mental and muscular
habits acquired by long
continued painstaking effort.
CHAPTER IV
Handwriting

Through repetition, an
individual develops maturity
in writing and leads to
unconscious coordinated
muscular movements.
CHAPTER IV
Handwriting Movements
Finger Movem
ent

Whole Arm Handwriting Forearm Move

Movement ment

Hand Moveme
nt
CHAPTER IV
Handwriting Movements

Finger Movement
Employs vertical writing and are formed by
the actions of the thumb, index and the
middle finger. Also referred to as the push
and pull writing.
CHAPTER IV
Handwriting Movements

Forearm Movement
Writing is produce by the movement of
the hand and an and also fingers in
some cases. The elbow is the pivotal of
the lateral movement.
CHAPTER IV
Handwriting Movements

Hand Movement
It involves the action of the hand as
whole with the fingers played but minor
role (mainly in the formation of small
letters) and the wrist is the pivotal of
the lateral movement.
CHAPTER IV
Handwriting Movements

Whole-arm Movement
It involves the action of the entire arm
without rest and is employed in very
large in writing. Ornamental
penmanship, blackboard writing, and
by few writers making all the capital
letters are some of this writing
movement is being employed.
Class Characteristics

These are characteristics or features

that are taught to the child when he/she
is best starting to learn the system of
writing.

The Two Basic Designs of Letter Forms

• Round System
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk

• Angular System
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk
Individual Characteristics

These are usually in a form of an

obvious deviations from the normal
practice, which causes by either
consciously or unconsciously
although much often by a
conscious desire to man to give his
writing a marked of uniqueness or
individuality.
Recognition of Writing
Characteristics

1. Line Quality
2. Word and Letter Spacing
3. Size Consistency
4. Pen Lifts
5. Connecting Strokes
6. Letters Complete
7. Pen Pressure
8. Slant
9. Baseline Habits
10.Embellishments
11. Diacritic Placements
Factors that affect Handwriting
• Age
• Mood
• How much time they have to
write
• The writing instrument used
• Drink and drugs
• Illness
• Trying to write differently.
Examination of Handwriting
Characteristics

• Examine the spacing between and Use ruler to

measure typical spacing.
• Examine the relative height, width and of Use
ruler to measure this comparison.
• Examine and Some letters and combinations
will be continuous while others may not be
connected. Look at the beginning and ending
strokes of and letters and connecting strokes.
Examination of Handwriting
Characteristics

• Are there unusual letters formations such as

loops and or a of cursive and printing?
• Examine the slant of the letters. Do they slant
left, right, or not at all? Are the slant consistent
throughout the writing sample? Measure the
angles of the slant using a protractor.
• Examine the baseline Are those and on the
baseline or are they above or below?
Examination of Handwriting
Characteristics

• Look for the flourishes and embellishments.

Are they unusual letters formation?
• Look at the placement of diacritics. Are the I’S
dotted and t’s crossed? Individuals tends to
dot is and cross in unique fashion.
Signature

It is the name of a person written by himself in a

document as sign of acknowledgement.

There are two kinds of signatures:

1. Conventional Signature
2. Highly Individualized Signature
Indications of Forgery

1. Non-continues strokes
2 Hesitations, pen-stops at unusual places
3. Abrupt changes of direction of lines or
strokes
4. Concealed or hidden joining
5. Bulbous or blunt initial and terminal
strokes
6. Shading in more than one direction
(frequent charge of pen hold)
Indications of Forgery

7. Lack variation of pen pressure.

8 Capricious change of slant.
9. Defective line quality - stilted, drawn
quality, devoid of free, natural, normal
writing movements.
10 Unnecessary care patching or retouching
(fraudulent retouching)
11. Unnatural pen-lifts
12. Tremor
13. Pressure of carbon, pencil or hindered
outlines along the strokes of “inked"
patterns.
THANK YOU!!!