NOTES ON QUESTIONED DOCUMENTS

Document- is any material that contains marks, symbols, or signs, visible or partially
visible & convey meaning or message.

Disputed Document-is the term given when there is an argument or controversy on the
document.

Questioned Documents- is a document which is in questioned because of its origin, its

contents, or circumstances regarding its production arouse suspicion as to its genuiness
or it may adversely scrutinized simply because it displeases someone

Two kinds of standard:

1. Procured or collected- obtained from files

2. Requested- made upon the request of an investigator.

How to obtain Collected Standards:

1. Collect at least 15-20 standards;

2. Collected standards should bear similarity of subject matter;

3. The date of preparation must be five (5) years before & five (5) years after the
incident happened;

4. There should be similarity of the instrument used in writing;

5. The writing condition and the manner of execution must be similar to the execution of
the questioned writing.

How to obtain Requested Standards:

1. Dictate, never allow the suspect to see the document;

2. The text that is to be dictated must be carefully selected; do not dictate exactly the
content to prevent familiarity of the document;

3. Dictation must be conducted for three times;

4. Dictation must be interrupted & on an interval basis so that the subject will feel relax
and write in his own natural writing.

5. The normal writing condition of the subject must be arranged, so that the writer will
feel to write the dictation.

How to prepare & examine Typewriting Standards:

1. Examine the ribbon;

2. Use the same size of questioned materials, same word, typographical errors & same
degree of touch;

3. Prepare the standard while the typewriter is in stencil position;

4. State the make, model, serial number, date & initial of the officer;

5. Typewriter should be kept in current condition.

Source of Standards:

Proof of Authenticity:

The Revised Rules on Evidence (Rules of Court) specifically Rule 132- Presentation of
Evidence letter “B” Authentication & Proof of Documents

Section 20 Proof of Private Documents- states that before any private document is
offered as authentic its due execution and authenticity must be proved:

a) By anyone who saw the document when it is executed or written.

b) By evidence of the genuineness of the signature or handwriting of the suspect.

Section 22. How Genuineness of Handwriting is Proved. The genuineness of the

document can be proved by any witness who believe it to be the handwriting of such
person because he saw the person executed it.

Alterations:

a) Erasures

1. Chemical- bleached with an eradicator. When it is an iron based ink & fumed with
sulfoxyanic acid, fume will turn red.
2. Abrasive- when something rough or sharp pointed instrument is used in erasing the
writings.

3. Associative evidence- a carbon copy, will reveal what had been erased.

4. Cutting

5. Interlineations, addition or subtraction.

Elements:

a) Lack of uniformity of ink;

b) Work of more than one pen or ink;

c) Crowding, uneven margin, & unusual spacing;

d) Removal & reinsertion;

e) Indication of more than one ribbon or typewriter, including the condition of the fabric
of the ribbon;

f) Sharp variation in handwriting.

Obliteration- blotting out or smearing over of the writing to make the original invisible.

Restoration- the process of the development of erased writing or bringing out again.

This is the photographic methods by the use of filter, except when covered with black.

METHODS OF RESTORING OBLITERATED WRITINGS

1. To penetrate the covering layer photographically, so that the original writing lying
beneath is thus revealed. Photographic methods can succeed only if a difference in
color or chemical composition exists between the original writing and the covering
material. Separation of color may be possible with the aid of photographic filter, but it is
useless when the ink is a true black.

2. To remove the covering material chemically, or with the aid of ultra-violate radiation
or oblique lighting.
3. In cases where a white-out is used, careful inspection of the writing will reveal the
obliteration. The original writing can be read also with the aid of a transmitted light with
infrared sensitive film and filters or with use of solvents to weaken the cover and reveal
the writing below.

Handwriting:

Natural

Disguised

Cursive

Hand lettering

Cortex of the brain- control vision, hearing, talking, and walking. It also guide the
muscles of the hands.

agrapia- a disease which causes the individual to lose his/her ability to write.

Two muscles of the hand capable of movement:

1. Extensor muscles- push the pen to form an upward stroke.

2. Flexor muscles- push the pen to form the downward strokes.

The combination of these two muscles of the hand allows the individual to perform the
lateral strokes (sideward

CARE IN HANDLING DOCUMENTS:

1. Do not fold the document along new lines.

2. Bring the document to the laboratory at the soonest time.

3. Do not expose the document to excessive heat or strong light.

4. Do not handle the document excessively, and do not place it in your pocket.
5. Do not work on it unnecessarily.

6. Do not mutilate or damage.

7. Do not use or allow chemical application to treat or dust for latent prints.

CHARATERISTICS OF TREMOR OF FRAUD

1. Inequality of movement in any place in any stroke or line with strokes too strong and
vigorous combined with weak hesitating strokes.

2. Frequent interruption of movement.

3. Unequal distribution of ink on upward and downward strokes.

4. Varying pen pressure, due to change in speed & interruptions in movement, this may
occur in the middle of direct curves or even on the straight lines.

5. Too many pen-stops and pen-lifts on wrong places.

CHARACTERISTIC TREMORS OF AGE OR OF EXTREME WEAKNESS

1. Show unusual and erratic departure of lines from its intended course.

2. Abrupt recovery, a general inclination of muscular weakness and of movement

beyond the control of the writer, particularly on downward strokes.

3. Show awkward digression or distortions which may be due to imperfect sight.

4. Characterized by abbreviations or even omissions of parts of letters or even the

whole word.

5. In the tremor of age often show very uneven alignment especially when the line
intersect. In signature, it shows apparent impatience and desire to complete
disagreeable and painful act. Concluding or terminal strokes are often made with
nervous, haste and carelessness or may be distorted or abbreviated.
FOUR (4) CATEGORIES OF DOCUMENT

1. Public Document-an instrument authenticated by a notary public or competent official

with the formalities required by law; or an instrument executed in due form before a
notary public certified by him; or one that which is made by a notary public in the
presence of parties who execute it with the assistance of two (2) witnesses.

2. Commercial Document-under Article 172 of the Revised Penal Code, these are
instruments which are used by the merchants or businessmen to promote or facilitate
trade or credit transaction. The term also include letters, notes or papers issued in the
course of business transactions, quedans, bonds, books of accounts and in general any
negotiable instruments. It is any document defined and regulated by the code of
commerce or any other commercial law.

3. Official Document- a document which is issued by a public official in the exercise of

the functions of his office. An official document is also a public document.

4. Private Document- a deed or instrument executed by a private person without the

intervention of a notary public or other persons legally authorized, by which document
some disposition or agreement is provided evidence as set forth.

IDENTIFICATION OF SIGNATURES

The identification or the so called verification of signatures is a specialized

branch or handwriting examination.

The identification principles and pointers in general handwriting set forth and
discussed earlier herein fundamentally remain the same in the identification of
signatures, however, certain characteristics and factors must be given careful
consideration because of the following reasons:

Known signatures may contain elements and features not common to the writer’s other
classes of writing;

a) Factors of identification given closest study in signature examination may not be

given the same special emphasis in general writing.

A simple signature may represent thousand or even millions of pesos, and such minute
stroke of a few letters of a genuine signature may thus represent tens or even hundreds
of thousands of pesos. It is, therefore, natural and necessary that every minute phase of
this small production of the human hand and the human brain should be analyzed and
scrutinized every possible way.

A signature is a combination of rather limited letters and designs due to its frequent use,
it become almost automatic with many writers.

The identification of signature depends very largely on the manner it is written.

While design or form of letters are the eye-catching features the forces or factors that
contribute to the manner of writing of identification

The individual writing movement and the skill employed in the execution of the signature
itself. A combination of the following factors provides a full description of the individual
writing movement in the execution of the signature.

1. A continuous writing movement-or the opposite, a writing movement interrupted at

intervals by either pen stops or actual pen lift.

2. Rhythmic, or the opposite, jerky pattern of writing.

3. Shading and pen emphasis on particular strokes.

4. Overall writing pressures.

5. Speed of execution.

6. Smooth or angular connecting strokes between letters.

7. Starting of the initial writing movement before or after the pen contracts the paper and
the corresponding condition at the termination of the word.

A person, in writing his signature, produces a particular pattern which contain personal
concepts of design which, when often repeated serves to distinguish his signature from
all others.

Elements which constitute general forms of signature include the following:

a) Design of letters

b) Slant of letters

c) Relative size of capitals; single-space letters and those which follow the base line or
above, the height of a single space.

d) Ornamentation of form

e) Arrangement of different parts of the signature with respect to the balance of it.

The identification of signature is based on the combination of the two (2)

personal attribute of:

a) form

b) Line quality

If a questioned signature agrees with the standards in all identifying elements, then it
can be concluded that it was written by the same person.

If on the other hand, significant differences exist between the standards and the
questioned signatures, they must be the work of two different writers, and the difference
between them have to be of fundamental nature and no mere variations which are
normally found between two signatures of any writer.

No two specimens of a person’s signatures are absolutely identical. The signatures

normally vary from each other in some details and the degree which they vary from
each other depends upon the individual writer and the conditions under which each
signature was written. As pointed out in “Standards of Comparison”, it is because of the
normal variations in signature that several signatures should be used to identify the one
in question.

In the identification, the known or sample signature must necessarily establish

accurately the range of variation, and then it is necessary to determine whether the
identifying qualities of unknown signature fall within these limits. Natural variation
between several signatures if the same person plays an important role in the process of
identification. In most cases, the extent of variation in writing even becomes a
characteristic peculiar to the writer.
FORGERY OF SIGNATURES

A forged signature is the signature of another person or a fictitious person, written by a

person who has no authority to do so, with intent to defraud.

Classes of Disputed Signatures:

1. Forged signatures where no attempt has been made to make a copy or facsimile of
the genuine signature.

2. Forged signatures of fictitious persons.

3. Forged signature which resemble the genuine signature since they have been
produced by a tracing process ( Traced forgery).

4. Forged signature which resemble the genuine signature written free-hand.

5. Genuine signature obtained by trickery.

6. Genuine signatures deliberately written illegibly or in an unusual manner, to afford

signatories some plausible grounds for disclaiming them should only deemed it
expedient.

The forger produces fraudulent signatories, from the elementary process of merely
writing the name(without attempt of making a close resemblance of the genuine
signature) to the more complicated process of a simulation or tracing in an effort to
produce facsimile of the genuine signature.

KINDS OF FORGERY

1. Simple Forgery

2. Simulated Forgery

3. Traced Forgery

SIMPLE FORGERY

This kind of forgery is best termed as “SPUROUS SIGNATURE”. In committing fraud,

the forger who is confronted with the absence of a genuine signature (or a model) will
not endeavor anymore to produce a facsimile of the genuine but merely signs the name
in his own, or in a modified (disguised) handwriting and then contrive some means of
passing the documents to his own gain before the obvious fraud is discovered. This is
commonly employed in the case of fictitious persons, this system employed by the
check thief who steals, endorses, and passes government, corporation or other checks,
or who procures printed check forms, completes and endorses then with fictitious
signatures in order to make them pass on as genuine.

The determination of the fraudulent nature of this kind of forged signatures becomes
very elementary once standards of the genuine signatures are obtained.

With sufficient standards the identity of the forger, thru his handwriting may be possibly
determined.

SIMULATED FORGERY

This is a simulation, copying or animation of a genuine signature or writing as to

assemble the model.

Before separate discussions of simulated forgery and traced forgery are herein made,
the following background points are given in relation to these two kinds of forgery which
are strictly the strange process of writing in place of the well founded, usual writing
movement employed in genuine writing.

The forger labors under a stranded mental and muscular condition that makes it
difficult, is not altogether impossible to do his work in a skillful manner brought
about by:

1. The realization that forgery is a criminal act;

2. Fear of discovery which certainly result to punishment;

3. Painful anxiety to do the work well.

To be able to forge successfully, one must:

1. Be able to see significant characteristics of the writing of another;

2. Have the muscular skill necessary to reproduce the writing imitated;

3. Be able to eliminate, at the same time all the characteristics of his writing.

Forgery is apt to show failure in these phases of performance.

The necessity of adjustment of impulses disturbed when muscles become tense as a

result of extra effort to produce a good forgery, and the best results can be achieved
only when muscles are somewhat relaxed so that all work is in harmony.

Simulation and also tracing, gives attention to conspicuous features of form only, not to
the many other details and elements entering into the process.

Developed natural writing which is an almost automatic act that follows the fixed
grooves of habit becomes necessarily stained when attention is given to it.

In SIMULATED FORGERY, the forger has a model (genuine signature) before him
which he is going to copy. Often he undertakes some practice before he proceed to his
work of simulation or imitation.

In rarer instances where the forger cannot avail of a genuine signature for a model, he
may rely on a mental pattern of the signature which he may have owing to long
acquaintances of association with said signature.

TYPICAL DOCUMENT PROBLEMS:

a) The identity of the writer of the document.

b) The determination, removal or decipherment of erasures, interlineations, deletions,
additions, and other alterations.

c) The age of the document.

d) The source of the paper.

e) The source and age of typewriting.

f) Comparisons of handwriting and typewriting.

DOCUMENT EXAMINATION

a) Examination by the Investigator:

The investigator may perform limited examination of the evidence document in

cases, such as involving anonymous letters, where the authorship is questioned. He
should study the document and compare it with any available standards. His attention
should be directed to the contents of the letter, similarities in writing, typing, spelling,
locutions, punctuations, and the type of paper. Immediate precautionary action or
investigative leads may be indicated as a result of this study. Conclusion regarding the
document should remain within the province of the expert.

c) Laboratory Examination:

The expert employs scientific techniques & appropriate instruments in the

laboratory. Examinations may involve microscopy, chemical analysis, micrometry,
colorimetry, photomicrography, ultraviolet, and infrared photography.

HANDWRITING IDENTIFICATION

The questioned document cases usually concerned with proving of authorship.

The following determinations may be involved in comparisons of handwriting:

1. Whether the document was written by the suspect.

2. Whether the document was written by the person whose signature it bears.

3. Whether the writing contains addition or deletions.

4. Whether a document such as bill, receipt, suicide note, or check is a forgery.

PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING HANDWRITING COMPARISON

“ NO TWO PRODUCTS OF MAN OR NATURE ARE IDENTICAL, AND

DIFFERENCES ARE PERCEPTIBLE IF A SUFFICIENTLY CLOSE STUDY IS MADE.”
Through years of practice each individual acquires permanent habits of handwriting.
The group of characteristics which form his script constitutes and identifiable picture. In
comparing the questioned and standard specimen, characteristics of sufficient kind and
number which are common to both must be established and there must be no
unexplainable differences.

HANDWRITING CHARACTERISTICS WHICH SERVES AS THE BASIS IN

EXAMINATION

1. Quality of Line. The lines which form the letter will vary in appearance with pen
position, pressure, shading, rhythm, tremor, continuity, skill and speed.

2. Form. The formation of letters is highly characteristic. Slant, proportions, beginning

and ending strokes, retracing, and separation of parts will vary with different persons.
Ornamentation and flourishes at the beginning and end of the words and sentences are
peculiarly individual.

3. Spacing. Letters words and lines are separated in a consistent fashion.

4. Spelling and Punctuation. The degree and kind of education will determine these
elements.

Another book enumerated these characteristics as:

a) Slant- which refers to the slope of the handwriting in relation to the baseline. It is
fairly a stable characteristics and the average slant varies very slightly in writings which
are done naturally.

b) Alignment- is the relation of successive characters or elements of the words,

signature or line to an actual imaginary baseline.

c) Proportion- of the letter may refer to the proportion or apart to the other part of the
letter or the relative height of one letter to the other. This is one of the hidden features of
writing as it is unknown writing of another being simulated.

Proportion and Ratio

1. Normal- ½ size of the capital letter is the size of small letter.

 2. High Proportion- more than ½ the size of capital letter.

3. Low Proportion- less than ½ of the size of capital letter is the size of small

letter.

d) Stroke or Structure- refers to letter to letter comparison.

TWELVE (12) METHODS/POINTS OF COMPARISON

Point 1- Uniformity

Point 2- Irregularities

• Are the strokes patched or retouched?

• Are there small marks near the strokes?

• Are the strokes wavering?

• Are the connecting strokes broken?

• Are the circle formations made up of separate strokes?

• Are there pen lifts?

• Are there vertical strokes mixed with a forward slant?

• Look for individualized strokes (not a sign of forgery) for identification.

Point 3- Size and Proportion

• What is the height of the overall writing?

• What is the height of the short letters in relation to the tall ones?

• Do the strokes diminish in size?

• Do they increase in size

• Are they narrow in proportion as they are tall?

• Does the sentence formation create a convex and concave baseline?

• Does the sentence formation consistently run uphill?

• Consistency runs downhill?

• Form converging “railroad track”?

Point 4- Alignment

• Do the strokes follow straight along the baseline?

• Do the letter strokes leave the baseline?

• Do the word strokes leave the baseline?

• Is the left margin essentially even?

• Is it jagged?

• Do the strokes hit the margin at an oblique angle

• How much space is there between capitals and small letters?

• Between separate capitals?

• Between word formations?

• In connecting strokes?

• Proportion of space breaks between letters?

Point 5- Spacing

• Are the strokes above and below the line balanced?

• How tall are the d and t stems in proportion to the rest of the writing?

• Are the strokes ill-formed?

Point 6- Degree of Slant

Point 7- Weight of Strokes

Point 8- T-Bars and I-Dots

Point 9- The Needle, the Wedge, the Round, the Flat

Point 10- Loops

Point 11- Circle Formations

Point 12- Initial and Final Strokes

THREE (3) BASIC MOVEMENTS/MOTIONS IN HANDWRITING

1. Clockwise motion

2. Counterclockwise motion

3. Straight line motion

WRITING INSTRUMENTS

a) Pens

b) Ballpoint pens

c) Pencils

d) Crayons, Chalk and Brushed

THINGS TO BE CONSIDERED WHEN OBTAINING HANDWRITING OR HAND

PRINTING SAMPLES FROM THE SUSPECT:

Obtain standards from dictation until it is believed normal writing has been produced.
( The number of samples needed cannot be determined in advance)

1. Do not allow the suspect to see either the original document in question or a
photograph of it.

2. Remove each sample from the sight of the writer as soon as it is completed.

3. Do not give instruction on spelling, punctuation, arrangement, etc.

4. Use the same writing media such as type and size of the paper, writing instruments,
printed forms (such as checks, notes etc.)

5. Obtain the full text of the questioned writing in word for word order at least once, if
possible. Signatures and less extensive writing should be prepared several times, each
time on different piece of paper. Obscene passages, proper nouns, etc. may be omitted
from the dictation.

6. In forgery cases the laboratory should also be furnished with genuine signatures of
the person whose name is forged.

7. Obtain samples with both the right and the left hands.
8. Obtain samples which are written rapidly, slowly, and at varied slants.

9. Obtain samples of supplementary writing such as sketches, drawings, manner of

addressing an envelope, etc.

10. Include a statement that the samples are being given voluntarily. Writer should initial
each page.

11. Witness each sample on the back, never on the front.

12. If readily available, samples of un-dictated writing should be obtained,, such as

applications for employment, social or business correspondence, school papers, etc.

13. The investigator should advise the document examiner concerning the suspects
manner of writing, i. e., whether he was relaxed, whether he was writing slowly or
rapidly, or apparently attempting to disguise all or a portion of the handwriting.

The availability of adequate handwriting samples will allow more suitable

examination which will result into a greater number of definite conclusion and will
therefore, also assist the expert witness a better presentation of such conclusion in
court.

TYPES OF INK

There are varieties of ink today in the market but a modern ink are usually of six
(6) types:

a) Gallotannate Ink

b) Logwood ink

c) Nigrosine ink

d) Aniline ink

e) Carbon ink or colored writing ink

f) Ball point pen ink

PHILIPPINE BANKNOTES

The main engraved components of each value of the notes may be enumerated
as follows:
1. A portrait or portraits on the front with finely engraved backgrounds.

2. A border and value panel, constructed of security white line geometric patterns.

3. Lettering, shading and ornamentation of varied depth and fineness of line.

4. Security “black line” geometric patterns, also known as “guilloche” work.

5. Finely engraved vignettes on the back.

6. Subsidiary printings.

HOW TO DETECT COUNTERFEIT CENTRAL BANK NOTES

Study the workmanship of each denomination of known genuine Central Bank

Notes. Take note and familiarize yourself with the various characteristics of the following
features:

1. Distinctive feel

2. Portrait

3. Watermark in Filipino notes

4. Red and blue fibers widely distributed on the paper

5. Broken thread vertically arranged on the left side of the Filipino notes

6. Lacework design

7. Color of each denomination

8. Color, style and size of serial number

9. Vignette; and

10. Cleanness of print

DOMINANT COLOR FOR EACH DENOMINATION

100 peso-Mauve

50 peso- Red
 20-peso-Orange

10-peso- Brown

5 peso- Green

1 peso- Blue

GLOSSARY:

Abnormal Writing Condition- is a writing executed not in a normal condition, such as

standing, walking, lying position.

Alignment Defects- Includes characters which write improperly the following respects:
twisted letter, horizontal or vertical mal-alignment, and a character off-its-feet.

Altered Documents- it is one that contains some changes, either as an addition or

deletion.

Angular Style of Writing- a writing wherein most part specifically the upper and lower
strokes forms an angle or wedge.

Arc- is the bend, crook or curve on inner side of a loop of letters such as “b”, “c”, “n”,
and “p”. It also refers to any arcaded form in the body of letters “c”, “a”, “s” and “o”.

Ascender- is the top portion of the letter or upper loop of letters such as; b, d, l, f, I, and
k.

Ballpoint pen- a pen with a tiny rotating ball that pick-up supply of ink by contact on the
reservoir and then transmit it to the paper.

Baseline-is the ruled or imaginary line in which the letter rests.

Benzene method- a chemical method of ink examination.

Block Style of Writing- is characterized by writing in which all the letters are in capital
or printed.

Blunt- is the beginning and ending stroke of both small and capital letters, wherein the
pen touched the paper without hesitation, beard , hitch or knob.

Body – is that part of the letter which ordinarily forms a small circle, usually lies on the
line of writing such as bodies of a, o, d, g, p, and q.

Bowl-is the fully rounded oval or circular formation in a letter which is complete in “o”
and modified in b, d, p, and r.

Buckle knot- is the horizontal loop that are used to complete such letters as a, b, h,
and k.

Cacography- is characterized as bad writing.

Calligraphy-is the art of beautiful writing.

Carbon Impressions- any typewriting which is placed on the paper by the action of the
typeface striking through carbon paper.

Carbon Inks- consists of a finely ground carbon particles suspended in water.

Copy Book Form- it is the basic form and design of letters which is fundamental to our
writing system.
Decipherment- is the process of making out what is illegible or what has been effaced.
It refers to the process of searching or making out the material which is illegible without
actually developing or restoring the original writing on the document itself.

Defects- are any abnormality or maladjustment in a typewriter which is reflected in its

work and which led to its individualization and identification.

Descender- is the lower portion of the letter or lower loop of g, j, q, y, and p.

Diacritic- is an element added to complete a certain letter such as “dot” on small “i”, j,
bar on “t” and accent mark on foreign language.

Disguised writing- when the writer tried to deliberately alter his usual writing habit in
the hope of hiding his identity. The result irregardless of its effectiveness is termed as
disguised writing.

Display exhibit- describes a greatly enlarged photographic court exhibit which is made
to such size that it must be placed upon an easel before the jury box.. These are also
called bromide enlargements.

Disputed document- means that there is argument or controversy over the document.

Document- is any material having marks, signs, symbols, which are either partially
visible or invisible which may ultimately convey meaning to someone or a printed or
written paper containing a record, statement or an instrument containing inscription.

Document Examiner- one who studies scientifically the details and elements of
documents in order to identify their source or to discuss other fact concerning the same.
Ductus Broken or Junction Broken- refers to the disconnected or non-continuous
strokes between two letters.

Ductus Link or Junction connection- a continuous line that connects or joins two
letters.

Efface – to rub out, to strike or scratch out or to erase.

Erasure- the removal of writing, typewriting, or printing from the document.

Examination- is the art of making a close and critical study of any material and with
questioned document as the process necessary to discover the facts about them.
Various types are undertaken including microscopic, visual, photographic, chemical,
ultra-violet and infra-red examinations.

Exemplar- is a standard of writing of known authorship which can be used by the expert
in comparison.

Expert Evidence- is the testimony of a person who is skilled or possessing knowledge

of a particular department of human activity.

Expert Witness- a legal term used to describe a witness who by reason of his special,
technical training and experience is permitted to express an opinion regarding an issue
or a certain aspect of issue that is involved in a law suit.

Eye loop or Eyelet- is a small loop formed by strokes that extends in divergent
direction as in b, c, f, k, p, r, s, w and z.
Flexibility of penpoint- the quality of the nib pen that varies with the different pens and
can be measured by the amount of pressure necessary to cause a spreading of the nibs
or a given degree of shading.

Flying start and flying finishes – when the motion of the pen proceeds the beginning of
the stroke and continue beyond the end to a vanishing point is found in free natural
writing and as a rule is an important indication of genuineness.

Foot – is the base or bottom of a letter that lies on the line of writing.

Forgery – a legal term which involves not only a non-genuine document but also on
intent on the part of the marker defraud. Outside of the courtroom, however, it is used
synonymously with fraudulent signature or spurious document.

Form of blindness – there are people who lacks the ability to differentiate forms, size,
letter configuration, design and angle.

Fountain pen – is the modern nib pen which contains a reservoir of ink in a specially
designed sack or chamber.

Freehand imitation or simulated forgery – a fraudulent signature which was executed by

simulation rather that by tracing the line of a genuine signature can be referred to as
executed in free hand imitation.

Gooping of ballpoint pen writing – is the excess of globules of ink oftentimes deposited
after a sharply curve stroke or the point of an abrupt change of writing direction.

Graphology – is the art of determining character, disposition and aptitude of the

individual from the study of handwriting.
Guided hand signature – signature actually produced by the cooperation of two hands
and two minds. A seriously ill-testator sometime ask someone for assistance in affixing
his signature, generally then, abnormally, clumps disconnection, uneven alignment and
illegibility are indication of genuineness and the opposite condition are evidence of lack
of genuineness.

Habit lettering – a disconnected style of writing in which each letter is written separately
is a form of hand lettering or hand printing.

Habit – a writing habit in any expected elements of defect which may serve as
identifying characteristics in individualize writing.

Hand exhibit – described a photographic court which is designed to be held and

examined by the individual juror or pair of judges.

Handwriting – is the result of very complicated series of act, being as a whole, a

combination of certain forms of visible mental and muscular habit acquired by long
continued painstaking effort.

Handwriting – is the result of a bodily movement, which is almost unconscious, of fixed

muscular habit reacting from fixed mental impression of certain idea, associated with
script form.

Handwriting – extended writing

Handwriting – Block-style.

Hesitation – is the term applied to the irregular thickening which is formed when the
writing slows down or stops while a penman takes stocks of the position.
Hiatus – may be regarded as a special form of pen lift distinguishable in that a
perceptible gap, appeared in writing, though sometimes hiatus are caused by failure of
ink to register on a paper due to speed of writing movement.

Hitch – is the introductory background stroke added to the beginning of any capital
letter. It is also seen occasionally in introductory strokes of some small letters.

Holographic document – any document completely prepared, written and signed by the
person without the assistant of a lawyer.

Hook – a minute and involuntary talon-like formation often found at the commencement
of an initial upstroke or at the end of terminal stroke.

Individual Characteristics – characteristics highly individualize or peculiar to an

individual writer or characteristics which are highly personalize and unlikely to occur in
other instances.

Infrared Examination – infrared examinations of document employ invisible radiation

beyond the red portion of the visible spectrum(rainbow) which is usually recorded on
specially sensitized photographic emulsion

Infrared Photography – the principle in infra-red photography as a means of preparing

photographic evidence is based upon the fundamental facts that different substances
which looks alike to the naked eye but are of different chemical component may have a
varying ability, reflect or transmit infra-red rays and hence, will not appear alike when
photographed by infra-red rays.

Initial Emphasis – is the greater pressure on stroke or the initial stroke.

Ink – is a fluid or viscous marking material used for writing or printing.

Ink Analysis – the application of chemicals on ink to determine its component whether
or not it came from the same source.

Ink Eradication – consist of the chemical solutions which are capable of bleaching ink.

Ink Flow back – ink sometimes will flow back on stroke from a shaded to an unshaded
portion giving the appearance of two ink film. Logwood ink sometimes shows these
characteristics. Such flow back of an ink should not be mistaken from a retouching or
patching. The condition is readily distinguishable from an actual patching by this
accurate fitting together of the lines.

Insertion or Interlineations – include the addition of writing and other material between
lines or paragraphs, to the addition of whole pages to a document.

Inside or Middle Letter – letter between the initial and terminal stroke.

Intersection – is the meeting of two lines which intersect.

Iodine Fumes – a kind of chemical examination of ink erasure.

Junction – is the meeting of two lines which do not cross.

Knob – is the extra deposit of ink in the initial and terminal stroke due to the withdrawal
of the pen from the paper.

Lead or Graphite – is the substance in the pencil commonly made up of tetanium

chloride, sulfite and ion that produce.
Legal Tender Philippine Currency-Notes and coins issued and circulating in accordance
with R.A. 266 as amended by R.A. 7653, which when offered for the payment of private
or public debt must be accepted.

Lens – consist of one or more optically ground glasses which focus light rays similar to
the pupil of the eyes and to focus an image of the object being photographed or the film
surface.

Ligature – a stroke connecting two letters.

Line quality – it is the condition of the pen line itself. Good line quality is characterized
by smoothness of writing, regularity of curves and shades. It results from the writer’s
being largely unconscious of the actual act of writing and concentrating instead of what
is being written. Poor line quality, on the other hand, is the result of the writer’s given too
much attention to the actual process of writing.

Majuscule – a capital letter.

Misalignments – synonymous with the term “alignment defect”.

Microscopic Examination – any study or examination which is made with the

microscope in order to discover the minute physical details.

Miniscule – a small letter.

Model signature – a genuine signature which has been used in imitation or traced
forgery.
Movement – it is the most important elements of handwriting. It embodies the factor
related to the motion of the writing instrument, skill, speed, freedom, hesitation, rhythm
and emphasis. The manner in which the writing instrument is moved, that is, finger
movement, hand movement, arm movement and whole arm movement.

Movement impulse – this refers to the uniformity and continuity of strokes. Forged
writing is usually produced by a broke movement to or maybe more interrupted motion
or movement impulse than genuine writing.

Natural variation – this are normal and natural deviation found between repeated
specimens of an individual handwriting.

Natural writing – any specimen of writing executed normally without any attempt to
deviate from his norm, control or alter its identifying habits in its usual quality of
execution.

Non-acqeous ink – an ink which the pigment or dye is carried in any vehicle other than
water. Inks of this class are found in ballpoint pens, typewriter ribbons and stamp pads
and all widely used in the printing industry.

Oblique or side lighting examination – an examination with the illumination so controlled

that it gazes or strikes the surface of the document from one side at a very low angle.

Obliteration – the blotting out or smearing over of writing to make the original invisible or
undecipherable.

Off its feet – a condition of typeface writing heavier either one side or corner than over
the remainder of its outline.
Opinion – the document examiner’s conclusion. In court, he does not only expresses an
opinion but demonstrates his reason for arriving at his conclusion.

Paper analysis – the application of chemicals on the paper to determine its component
whether or not it came from the same source.

Patching – going back over a defective writing stroke or an attempt to improve an

imitation.

Pen – a writing instrument used to apply inks to the paper.

Pencil grade – is the quantitative description of the hardness or softness of a pencil that
is how a dark stroke is capable of making.

Pen lift – an interruption in a stroke caused by removing the writing instrument (pen)
from the paper.

Pen nibs – the two divisions or points which from the writing portion of the pen.

Permanent defects – an identifying characteristic of a typewriter which cannot be

corrected by simply cleaning the typeface or replacing the ribbon.

Photomacrographs – a similarity enlarged photograph prepared from a camera with the

use of macro lens.

Photomacrography– this is the process of obtaining a magnified photograph of a small

object without the use of microscope but, by using a short lens and a long below
extension.
Photomacrograph – is a photograph with a magnification of, from two to fifty times the
original size.

Photomicrograph – is a photograph made through a compound microscope or

stereoscope and may be a greatly enlarged image of minute details or of a small area.

Photomicrography – this is the science of obtaining photographic magnification of a

minute object by using camera attached to a compound microscope. The camera lens is
removed because the microscope lens forms the image.

Platen – the cylinder which serves as the backing for the paper and which absorbs the
blow of the typeface.

Proportional spacing typewriting – a modern form of typewriting which resembles

printing in that all the letters, numerals, an symbols do not occupy the same horizontal
space as they do with the convectional typewriter.

Qualifications – the professional experience, education and ability of document

examiner combine to make up his qualifications.

Quality – is a distinct or peculiar character. It is used in describing handwriting to refer to

any identifying factor which is related to the writing movement itself.

Rebound – is a defect in which the character prints a double impression with the lighter
one slightly offset to the right or left.

Rebutting evidence – is that evidence that counter act, to repeal or destroy evidence, or
disproved the evidence by either side.
Restoration – describes any process in which erased writing is developed or brought out
again on the document itself.

Retracing – any stroke which goes back over another writing stroke.

Safety paper – this term is applied to paper which has been treated in such a way as to
minimize the chances of successful forgery by erasure whether mechanical or chemical
being carried out in any document which forms the basis.

Script writings – are characterized by writing which are not point together or
disconnected.

Secret inks – a material used for writing which is not visible until treated by some
developing processes or substance can serve as a secret or sympathetic ink.

Sequence of stroke –the order in which the writing stroke are placed on the paper.

Shading – is the widening of the ink stroke due to added pressure on a flexible pen
point or to the used of a stub.

Significant writing habit – this term is applied to any characteristics of writing which is
sufficiently unique and well fixed to serve as fundamental point of identification.

Slant – is an angle or inclination of the axis of the letters relative to the baseline.

Speed of writing- the motion of a writing instrument characterized by slow, moderate or

rapid. Writing speed cannot be measured precisely from finished handwriting but can be
interpreted in broad terms of slow, moderate or rapid.
Spurious signature – describes as fraudulent signature in which there was no apparent
attempt of simulation or imitation.

Standard – are those things whose origin are known, can be proven and which can be
legally use for comparison with other things in question.

Surface texture or paper – the surface of any sheet of paper when viewed under
magnification is not absolutely smooth and flat, but is irregular and rough.

Synthetic dye inks or aniline inks – any ink which consists simply of a dye dissolved in
water together with the necessary preservatives.

System of writing – the combination of basic design of letters and the writing movement
as taught in school make up the person’s writing skill.

Testimonial evidence – is the oral testimony of a man or an expert in court or written

affidavit by an ordinary witness.

Traced forgery – any fraudulent signature which was executed by actually following the
outline of a genuine signature in a writing instrument.

Transitory defects – an identifying characteristics which can be eliminated by cleaning

the machine or replacing the ribbon such as clogged typefaces.

Transmitted light examination – the document is viewed with the source of illumination
behind it and the light passing through the paper.

Tremors – a writing weakness portrayed by irregular,, shaky strokes.

(page 16)
Twisted letter – each letter and character designed to point at a certain fixed angle to
the baseline, due to wear and damage to the type bars and the type block, some letters
become twisted so that they lean to the right or left of their correct slant.

Typeface – the printing surface of the type block.

Typeface defects – any peculiarity of typewriting caused by actual damaged to the

typeface metal.

Ultra-violet examination – ultra-violet radiation is invisible and occurs in the wave length
just below the visible blue (light) violet ends at the spectrum (rainbow). These visible
rays react on some substances see that visible light is reflected, a phenomenon known
as fluorescence. Thus, ultra-violet examination may be made visually or
photographically by recording either the reflected ultraviolet or invisible radiation.

Ultra-violet photography – the utilization of ultra-violet rays in document photography to

restore or uncover writings, writings which have been erased chemically or
mechanically or in the detection of substitution, over writing, superimposition, and secret
writing.

Vertical Misalignment – a character printing above or below is proper position.

Watermarks – a certain paper are marked with a translucent design a watermark,

impressed in them during the course of their manufacture.

Writing Conditions – include both the circumstances under which the writing was
prepared and the factors which influence the writer’s ability to write at the time of
execution.
Written impressions – the small writing indentations completely devoid of nay pigment.
They may be found a sheet of a table paper which was immediately below the one on
which writing was done, or they may be remain after pencil or typewriting has been
erased.

Wrong-handed writing – any writing executed with the opposite hand from that normally
used. Thus, the writing of a right handed person which has been executed with his left
hand accounts for the common terminology for this class of disguise in “left handed
writing”.

Counterfeit Note-An imitation of a legal and genuine note intended to deceive or to be

taken for that which original, legal & genuine.

Counterfeit Coin- an imitation or forged design of a genuine and legal coin regardless of
its intrinsic value or metallic composition, intended to deceive or pass for the genuine
coin.

Section 9, R.A.7653- reproduction of facsimile- size less than 3/5 or more than 11/2
times in size of the currency note being illustrated.

Types of US Dollars:

Federal reserve Note – those with green treasury seal and serial number.

Dollars with number and letter representing the Federal Reserve District in which that
bank is located:

1- Boston Massachussetts – A 7- Chicago Illinois –-- G

2- New York, New York - B 8- St Louis Missouri---H

3- Philadephia, Penn. - C 9- Minneapolis, Minn.-I

4-Cleveland, Ohio -D 10- Kansas City , Miss.-J

5- Richmond Virginia -E 11- Dallas, Texas--------K

6- Atlanta, Georgia -F 12- San Francisco, Calif- L

(Page 17)

US Note – with red Treasury seal & Serial Number

Silver Certificates- with Blue Treasury seal & Serial Number

Portrait

$ 1- George Washington $ 50- Ulysses Grant $ 10,000- Salmon

Chase $ 2- Thomas Jefferson $ 100- Benjamin Franklin

$ 5- Abraham Lincoln $ 500- William McKinley

$ 10- Alexander Hamilton $ 1000- Grover Cleveland

$ 20- Andrew Jackson $ 5000- James Madison

QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATION

"The handwriting on the wall may be a forgery" (Ralph Hodgson)

A "questioned" document is any signature, handwriting, typewriting, or other mark

whose source or authenticity is in dispute or doubtful. Letters, checks, driver licenses,
contracts, wills, voter registrations, passports, petitions, threatening letters, suicide
notes, and lottery tickets are the most common questioned documents, although marks
on doors, walls, windows, or boards would also be included by definition.

QDE, or Questioned Document Examination, has been a profession at least since

1870, and frequently is found in cases of forgery, counterfeiting, mail fraud, kidnapping,
con games, embezzlement, gambling, organized crime, white collar crime, art crime,
theft, robbery, arson, burglary, homicide, serial murder, psychological profiling, and
deviant sex crime. A number of famous cases over the years, some involving wrongful
conviction -- the Dreyfus affair; Bruno Hauptmann and the Lindbergh Kidnapping; the
Hitler Diary profiling controversy; and Clifford Irving's forgery of Howard Hughes
signature and Mormon documents -- were showcases for the talents of various experts
at QDE. It's strength, drawn from civil law, is that expert opinion can overturn (alleged)
eyewitness opinion
 SOME FAMOUS FORGERS & FORGERIES

Major George Byron (Lord Byron forgeries)

Thomas Chatterton (Literary forgeries)

John Payne Collier (Printed forgeries)

Dorman David (Texas Dec. of Independence)

Mark Hofmann (Mormon, Freemason forgeries)

William Henry Ireland (Shakespeare forgeries)

Clifford Irving (Howard Hughes forgery)

Konrad Kujau (Hitler Diaries)

James Macpherson (Ossian manuscript)

George Psalmanasar (Literary forgery)

Alexander Howland Smith (historical documents)

Thomas James Wise (Printed forgeries)

Unknown (Documentary Photos Billy-the-Kid)

Numerous (Biblical forgeries)

Historically, QDE has been somewhat of an inclusive profession, even to the point
where so-called pseudo-experts (in palmistry and fortune-telling) were sometimes
welcome, and even today, it suffers from a bit of identity crisis in that at least eight (8)
different, or related, areas can be identified:

• Questioned Document Examiners -- A document examiner analyzes any questioned

document and is capable of more than just questions of authorship limited only by their
access to laboratory equipment

• Historical Dating -- These is work involving the verification of age and worth of a
document or object, sometimes done by a document examiner, and can get as
complicated as Carbon-14 dating

• Fraud Investigators -- This is work that often overlaps with that of the document
examiner and focuses on the money trail and criminal intent
• Paper & Ink Specialists -- These are public or private experts who date, type, source,
and/or catalogue various types of paper, watermarks, ink, printing/copy/fax machines,
computer cartridges, etc., using chemical methods

• Forgery Specialists -- These are public or private experts who analyze altered,
obliterated, changed, or doctored documents and photos using infrared lighting,
expensive spectrograph equipment, or digital enhancement techniques

• Handwriting Analysts -- These are usually psychology experts who assess personality
traits from handwriting samples, also called graphologists or grapho-analysts; Forensic
stylistics refers to the same purpose but by looking at semantics, spelling, word choice,
syntax, and phraseology.

• Typewriting Analysts -- These are experts on the origin, make, and model used in
typewritten material

• Computer Crime Investigators -- This is an emerging group that relates to QDE

through some common investigative and testimonial procedures.