Elisabeth Briggs
Hannah Pocock
Forensic Examination of Signatures
QD Examiner offers forensic examination of signatures. We compare a signature of disputed origin with known examples to determine whether or not it is genuine.
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The examination assesses signature characteristics and the significance of similarities and differences between questioned and specimen signatures. It includes observing style, size, proportions, spacing, and fluency, as well as examining individual signature parts and character shapes, proportions, construction, and connections. Hesitations or unexpected pen lifts are checked for potential forgery.
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Signatures can be:
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Genuine
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Freehand forgery – written by a 3rd party making an attempt to copy a genuine signature, sometimes from memory.
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Traced forgery – written by a 3rd party by tracing over a genuine signature.
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Cut and paste – a genuine signature of an individual copied from one document onto another, by means of physical cut and paste, or more often by the use of a computer scanner and appropriate software. Since no two signatures are identical, is it is usually only possible to confirm that such a signature is a forgery when the ‘source’ document is available or if more than one document exists showing the 'same' signature.
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​An opinion regarding authorship will be expressed using the Range of Opinions shown in the FAQs. The strength of the opinion will depend on a number of factors including the quality of the documents, the nature and distinctiveness of the signatures and the suitability of the specimen signatures available.
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If a signature is found to be not genuine (ie, it is a forgery), it is rarely possible to determine who actually wrote the signature.
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Examination of photocopied/scanned documents
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​These will not contain all of the detail present in the original documents and whilst an examination may still be possible, it could be that an opinion regarding authorship is qualified. In the case of signatures in particular, copies may not show some of the common signs of forgery such as tracing guidelines, or hesitations and pen lifts that might be present in the original ink signature. You are welcome to email copies of the documents for a free initial assessment and we can advise whether they appear to be of a sufficient quality for a reliable examination.
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Documents that have been scanned at low resolution and saved as electronic pdf files are unlikely to be suitable for examination.
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Factors affecting signatures
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Signatures can be affected by a number of factors including health, age, intoxication or fatigue. It is therefore essential for us to know whether any of these are relevant to the individuals concerned.
Specimen signatures​
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In order to carry out an effective comparison, we usually require at least 10-15 examples from the person whose signature is in question. These documents can include a mixture of originals and copies.
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​It is not usually possible to compare signatures with handwriting, nor is it usually possible to identify the author of a forged signature.
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Ideally specimen signatures must have been written on different occasions so that the variation within the individual's signature can be assessed. It is also useful if they are contemporaneous with the document in question (written at the same time). If not, it would be useful to see examples from before AND after the date of the document in question. A signature from a 30 year old passport is not the ideal specimen for comparison with a document signed last year, for example.
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​In the case of joint instructions it is desirable that all parties involved agree the authorship of any documents submitted for use as specimens.
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​Examples of suitable documents include receipts, cheques, business documents, loan applications, membership cards, banking documents and copies of passports and driving licences.
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A further source may be documents filed on the Companies House website; we may search this archive in order to find potential specimens and will discuss this with the relevant parties.
SPECIMEN SIGNATURES REQUIRED
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At least 10 - 15 examples
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Written on different occasions
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Need to to be contemporaneous, or pre and post-date the document in question
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Can be on original and copy documents
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Expert cannot usually identify the author of a forged signature.
EXAMPLE SIGNATURE DOCUMENTS
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receipts
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cheques
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business documents
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tenancy/property documents
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loan applications
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bank/membership cards
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banking documents
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passports
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driving licence
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documents from Companies House
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licence documents