QUESTIONED DOCUMENT •Chinese, China- first paper was made (2000 years

ago from the bark of mulberry tree) introduced to

•Any document about which some issue has been
Japan and central part of Asia
raised or placed under scrutiny.
•Arabs (making paper by the middle of 8th century-
•A document that has been questioned in whole or in
later spread out to Spain, France, Germany and
part with respect to its authenticity, identity, origin, or
finally England)
its relation among its parts and to other things.
•Europe (introduced by Moors)
•Any signature, handwriting, typewriting, or to other
mark whose source or authenticity is in dispute or •Spain, 1150 (1st papermaking mill was established)
doubtful.
• USA (17th century, 1690)
• May be disputed or not.
•17th 18th century- shortages of rages (only
QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATION satisfactory raw material known for European
papermakers
• Becomes a profession since, 1870
•1789, Nicholas Louis Robert, French Invertor -
• Fall into two broad classes:
first practical machine was made
•Criminalistics Examination- detection of forgeries,
•1803, Henry Fourdrinier and Sealy Fourdrinier,
alterations and obliterations.
British Stationers and brothers- produced the first of
• Dr. Wilson Harison, British examiner (75% of the machines that bear their name.
detection)
•Vegetables, silk, and linen and later cotton and wood
•Handwriting Examination- to find out who is the pulp
author of the writing.
INK
PROCESSES IN SCIENTIFIC METHOD OF
• Before the Christian Era
IDENTIFICATION
• Chinese- Ancient writing inks were compounds of
1. ANALYSIS (properties or characteristics are
lampblack (carbon) and a gum or glue, mixed with
observed, measured and determined.
water used on papyrus and vellum- Indian Ink
2. COMPARISON ( compared with familiar or
•Printing Ink-Grinding carbon in the form of
recorded properties known items)
vegetable char with a varnish made of animal gums
3. EVALUATION (similarities or dissimilarities in and drying oils.
property or characteristics that have certain value for
• Iron-tannin Ink- discovered in a way that when
identification are determined by their likelihood or
soluble salts of iron were mixed with extracts from
occurrence.
vegetable materials (tan bark and nut gall). This dark
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND liquid was found to be more suitable for use with the
contemporary invented type of pen, the quill.
PAPER
• Logwood ink- potassium chromate in saturated
•Parchment or Vellum (Skins of animals) logwood, 1850 (purple dark in colour and turns black
•Papyrus (grass-like plan) on the paper and can washed off chemically.

•A.D 847, Egypt (letters) • Nigrosine & Aniline inks, 1870- made from a coal
tar (fountain pen inks)
•England - oldest manuscript (cotton paper, year
1049 A.D) • Alkaline ink-made from alkaline solution (difficult
to remove from paper • Indelible ink- permanent
heavy ink ( penetrates the paper and cannot removed
at all)
• Printing ink- pigments and consist of boiled oil
with various natural or synthetic resins
• Copying ink- similar to writing ink (contains small
amount of glycerine or sugar)
• Stamp-pad ink- slow evaporating ink (composed
of colouring materials that contain glycerol and
glycols.
• Secret ink/invisible ink- used by spy organization
(urine, milk and lemon juice)
• Synthetic ink- chemical or vegetable substances
called sympathetic or cryptographic inks (cobalt,
chloride, citric acid and lemon juice)
ALPHABET
• Iconographs, 20,000 years ago-first form of
written communication (arranged objects and
drawings on the walls of caves and big stones
• Ideographs-simple drawing (stick figures)
• Chinese- pictographic writing (sun) fist step
toward written subject, began pictographic language
• Ideographic system-combining of pictographsto
represent the words for ideas
• Egyptian-hieroglyphics (syllabic system)
• Sumerian-cuneiform system when they conquered
Mesopotamia, 3200 BC
• Cuneiform (wedge-shaped) oldest system of
writing
VARIOUS ASPECT OF QUESTIONED
DOCUMENT EXAMINATION
COVERS THE FOLLOWING:
• Examination of Handwriting and hand printing for
the purposes of determining their genuineness or
source;
• Miscellaneous aspect such as detection of:
• Alteration
• Decipherment of erased writing;
• restoration of obliterated writing;
• determination of age of documents
• Identification of stamps, seal etc;
• Currency bills and coins.
CLASSES OF QUESTIONED DOCUMENT
• Documents with questioned signatures;
• Documents containing alleged fraudulent
alterations;
• Holograph documents;
• Documents questioned as to their age or date;
• Documents questioned as to the material used in
their production;
• Documents involving typewriting and are
investigated or examined for purposes of determining
their source and date, whether or not it contains
fraudulent alterations or substituted pages;
• Documents which may identify a person through
handwriting;
• Genuine documents erroneously and fraudulently
attacked or disputed.
Photography and Questioned Documents
• Record of the initial condition
• Makes clear what otherwise may be hidden or
indistinct
• Enlarged
• Reproduction
• Cut apart for comparison
• Showing delicate discoloration
• Erasures by abrasion
• Transmitted light photography is useful in the
examination of watermarks

BASIC TERMS IN HANDWRITING
 WRITING- is the result of a very complicated
series of acts, being as a whole combination of
certain forms, which are very visible result of
mental and muscular habits, acquired by long,
continued, painstaking effort
 HANDWRITING- is a visible effect of bodily
movements, which is an almost unconscious
expression of certain ideas associated with script
form
 SYSTEM OF WRITING- is the combination of
basic design of letters and writing movements as
taught in school
 NATURAL WRITNG- is any specimen of
writing executed normally without any attempt to
control or alters its identifying habits and its
usual quality of execution
 DISGUISED WRITING- is a way of writing in
which the writer deliberately tries to alter his
usual writing habits in the hope of hiding its
identity
 CURSIVE WRITING- is a style of writing in
which the letters are for the most part joined
together
 HAND LETTERING- is any disconnected style
of writing in which the letters are written
separately
 HOLOGRAPH DOCUMENTS- is a document
which is completely written and signed by one
person
 SIGNATURE-is one's name written by himself
on a document as a sign of acknowledgement
 WRITING HABIT- is any repeated element or
detail that may serve to individualized writing
 SIGNIFICANT WRITNG HABIT- is a term
applied to any characteristic of handwriting
which is sufficiently unique and well-fixed to
serve as a fundamental point in the identification
of writer
 CHARACTERISTIC- is any property or mark
which distinguishes and, in questioned document
examination, commonly refers to details
TWO KINDS OF CHARACTERISTICS
1. CLASS CHARACTERISTICS- are identifying
details which are common to a group
1. INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS- highly
personal and peculiar and are unlikely to occur in
other instances
DEVELOPMENT OF HANDWRITNG
STEP 1- Penmanship copy book form or blackboard
illustration of the different letters is placed before
him. His first step is one of imitation only or a
process of drawing; painstaking, laborious and slow
copying of the letter forms. The forms of each letter,
at first, occupy the focus of his attention.
STEP 2- As the person progresses, the matte r of
forms recedes, and the focus of attention is centered
on the execution of various letters, that is, they are
actually writing instead of drawing
STEP 3-the manual operation in the execution of
letters, after more progress, is likewise soon relegated
t the subjective mind and the process of writing
becomes more or less automatic. Writing becomes
unconscious coordinated movement that produces a
record. Attention is no longer given to the process of
writing itself because the subject matter to be written
now occupies the focus of attenton.
PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF HANDWRITING
• Impulse begin in the CORTEX-( Vision, hearing,
talking and walking)
• Guides the muscle of the hands as they weave
through the complex movement that makes the words
•Begins in MIND- Emotions and attitudes influence
LEGAL CLASSIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS
Public Document
• a document created, executed or issued by a public
official in response to the exigencies of the public
service, or in the execution of which a public official
intervened.
• is any instrument authorized by a notary public or a
competent public official, with the solemnities
required by law (Cacnio, et.al. vs. Baens, 5 Phil.
724).
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 as a larger
classification.
Private Document
• A deed or instrument executed by a private person
without the
intervention of a notary public or other person legally
authorized, by which documents, some disposition or
agreement is proved, evidenced or set forth. (US Vs.
Orera, 11 Phil 596) e.g. Theater Ticket.
Commercial Document
• any document defined and regulated by the Code of
Commerce (People Vs. Co Beng, C.A. 40 OG 1913)
or any other commercial law.
1882
Gilbert Thompson, a railroad builder with the US
Geological Survey in New Mexico, put his own
thumbprint on wage chits to safeguard himself from
forgeries
1910
✓ Albert Sherman Osbome publish his book
"Questioned Documents".
✓First President of the American Society of
Questioned Document Examiners.
✔He was considered as the father of Questioned
Documents.
State vs. Hauptmann
Also known as the Lindbergh Baby case. In which
Osbome proved in court as an expert that the accused
Bruno Richard Hauptmann had written all the ransom
notes sent after the abduction of the son Charles
Lindbergh leading to the conviction of the suspect.
WANTED INFORMATION AS TO THE
WHEREABOUTS OF CHAS. A. LINDBERGH, JR.
OF HOPEWELL, N. J. NYC POLICE 128221 21 34
SON OF COL. CHAS. A. LINDBERGH
Bruno Richard Hauptmann
World-Famous Aviator
This child was kidnaped from his home in Hopewell,
N. J., between 8 and 10 p.m. on Tuesday, March
1,1932.
DESCRIPTION:
Age, 20 months
Hair, blond, curly
Weight, 27 to 30 lbs. Eyes, dark blue Complexion,
light
Height, 29 inches
Deep dimple in center of chin Dressed in one-piece
coverall night suit
ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO COL. H.
N. SCHWARZKOPF. TRENTON, N. 1. or COL
CHAS A. LINDBERCH, HOPEWELL. N. J. ALL
COMMUNICATIONS WILL BE TREATED IN
CONFIDENCE COL H. NORMAN
SCHWARZKOPF A New Jersey State Pole Tren A
Dreyfus Case
• French amy officer, accused of treason through
letters found attempting sell sectets to Genneach and
later found that Dreyfus did not write the letters
Alfred Dreyfus
Graphologist VS QD Examiner
Graphologist
• Profiles character or personality by drawing
conclusions from certain types of characteristics in
the handwriting sample.
• They do not compare handwriting to determine
authenticity or origin. Remember, most of
graphology lack scientific proof.
• On the other hand, some of the principles of FORM
graphology are correct like:
• Refers to shape or design of the individual letters
Handwriting can be effected by illness, old age, etc...
• Mere similarities are not sufficient indication of
Have many different "systems of graphology'. identity
HANDWRITING ☐ Basic differences in the form of letters are
• is a visible effect of bodily movement which is an indications of two writings being made by different
almost unconscious expressions of fixed muscular writers
habits, reacting from fixed mental impression of ☐ Endeavour to attain highly individualized
certain ideas associated with script form. handwriting
Some kinds of muscles which function in the act of • Effort to make writing simpler and easier
Writing:
• To acquire greater speed
•Extensor muscles in charge of pushing up the pen
to form the upward strokes and ease the tension RECOGNITION OF WRITNG
produced as result of flexion. CHARACTERISTICS

•Flexor muscles- in charge to push the pen to form
downward strokes.
• PEN-extension of hand
• Each writer has his own way of holding his hand,
manipulating the pen, exerting pressures and
variation of strokes.
• Before one could make a comparison and proper
evaluation of the characteristics of handwriting, he
must know first how to observe or recognize these
characteristics
Kinds of Writing
1. Cursive The letters in the word/s are Connected.

• When it come diseased as in AGRAPHIA (one 2. Script The letters in the word/s are Separated
who losses ability to write but he could still hold or 3. Block-The letters in the word/s are
grasp the writing instrument) CAPITALIZED.
• EXTENSOR MUSCLES- pushes up the pen to
KINDS OF MOVEMENT in Handwriting
form the upward strokes
1. Finger Movement the thumb, the first, second and
• FLEXOR MUSCLES- ease the tension produced
slightly the third fingers are in actual motion. Most
as a result of flexion- pushes the pen to form
usually employed by children and illiterates. (used by
downward strokes
beginners)
Generally 4 groups of Muscles are employed in 2 Hand Movement-produced by the movement or
writing action of the whole hand with the wrist as the center
• JOINTS OF THE FINGERS of attraction. (limited freedom)

• ELBOW 3. Forearm Movement the movement of the

shoulders, hand and arm with the support of the table.
• WRIST (most skillful type of movement)
• SHOULDER 4. Whole Forearm Movement action of the entire
• The delicate way in which the various muscles used arm without resting, i.e. blackboard writing. (used for
in writing work together to produce written form is omamental or large writings)
known COORDINATION
 Elements of Writing Movement Factors that affects Writing Characteristics
 Pen pressure  Natural Variations - is the usual or normal
deviation found in a repeated specimen of an
-is the average or usual pressure applied in the
individual's handwriting or in the product of any
writing.
typewriter.
 Pen Emphasis
 Transitory Change-are meant to those changes
-is the act of intermittently forcing the pen against the which only continue to exist while the basic
paper surface with an increase in speed. cause of the deterioration is still affecting the
writer, once the such cause has been removed
 Rhythm from the writer, the writing will reverts in its
- is the harmonious or balance recurrence of strokes normal form.
or impulses.  Tremor - is the weakening of the strokes
 Speed characterized by a wavering or shaky strokes.

- cannot be measured precisely from the finished Genuine Tremor

handwriting but it can be interpreted in broad term as 1. Weakness of sickness -Old age
to either fast, slow or moderate.
2. Illiteracy (lack of skills)
 Pen-lift
3. Fraud of Tremor
- an interruption is strokes caused by sudden removal
of the writing instrument from the paper surface. Factors that affects Writing Characteristics

 Shading • Writing Conditions - refers to all factors affecting

the over-all quality of writing such as the writer's
- refers to the more obvious increase in the width of condition under which the writing was prepared.
the letter strokes.
• Writing instrument - Ball point pen (John Loud)
 Pen Position consisting of a ball bearing at the point of the pen.
- is the relative location of the pen in relation to the
✔Fountain pen (Lewis Watterman) consisting of
paper surface.
pen nib point.
 Pen scope
✔Fiber pen (originally designed by Hongkong)
- represents the reach of the hand with the wrist at
rest. Decipherment of contact writing

 Retracing or retraced - refers to partially visible ink ✓Contact writing

strokes cause by sudden contact between a sheet of
- is the strokes which goes back over another writing paper with another paper containing fresh ink. Can be
strokes that is slightly to occur in other's writing. enhanced through fuming or ultra-violet light
 Retouching or patching process.

- is a stroke, which goes back over a defective portion Handwriting Theory

of a writing to repair or correct an error. •Handwriting is just as unique as your fingerprints.
•Difference between fingerprint and handwriting
•Fingerprints are permanent and do not change a
leaming process and lends itself to
•Handwriting is change as a normal process
Types of Handwriting
 Cursive writing
 Disguised writing
 Guided writing
 Hand lettering
 Natural writing
KINDS OF DISGUISED
•Change of slant from right to left or vice versa
•Change of capital letter either form cursive to block
style or vice versa
•Change from cursive (conventional style) to block as
vice versa
•Change of style from big to small or vice versa
•Deteriorating one's handwriting
•Using the wrong hand (ambidextrous)
Hand lettering/Script style
specimen characterized disconnected strokes.
Natural writing
specimen that written or executed normally without
the attempt of controlling or alter its identifying
habits.
Care in Handling and Preservation of Documents
■ DONT'S
• Do not handle documents excessively or carry
them in a pocket for a long time
• Do no mark questioned documents
• Do not allow anyone except qualified
specialist to make chemical or other test.
• Do not threat or dust for latent FP before
consulting a document examiner
• Do not mutilate or damage by repeated
refolding, creasing, and cutting, tearing, or
punching for filing purposes
Basic points that should be considered in obtaining
standards
• REQUESTED STANDARDS
• QUESTIONED MATERIAL MUST BE
DICTATED
• DICTATED TEXT MUST BE CAREFULLY
SELECTED
• ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF WRITNG MUST BE
INCLUDED
• SOME PORTIONS OF DICTATION MUST BE
REPEATED AT LEAST THREE TIMES
KINDS OF INSTRUMENT AND PAPER USED
-Standards- should be those which where written with
the same instrument as that in the questioned
document
- Paper used
• RELATIVE DATE OF THE QUESTIONED
SIGNATURE OR WRITING WITH THE
STANDARDS
Those executed or affixed on documents with dates
contemporaneous with, or close to the date of the
questioned signature
• CONDITONS UNDER WHICH KNOWN IN
WRITNG OR SIGNATURE IS PREPARED
-Unusual or unnatural conditions- not be solely the
basis of comparative examination
-No available standards written under similar
conditions
Basic points that should be considered in obtaining • Do not rely on the similarity or difference of the
standards capital letters, for these are often changed according
to the whim of the writer
PROCURED/COLLECTED STANDARD
1. AMOUNT OF STANDARD WRITING
AVAILABLE SUGGESTED STEPS IN THE EXAMINATION
 No fixed rule OF SIGNATURE
 Experience shows, at least 7 standards
■Juxtapose the questioned and the standard
 10 is better than 7, 15 is better than 10, and 20 signatures
is better than 15
1. SIMILARITY OF SUBJECT MATTER ■ First element to be considered- movement
• Like things must be compared employed or manner of execution-slow, deliberate,
• Signature-extended rapid, etc.
 Cursive-block ■ Second element-quality of line- presence of tremor,
smooth, fluent, or hesitation

Standard of comparison are classified into two ■ Examine the beginning and ending line (blunt,
groups as follows: club-shaped, tapered, or vanishing)

• PROCURED/COLLECTED STANDARD
Obtained from files of document executed in the
course of a person's day to day business, official,
social or personal activities
• REQUESTED STANDARD
Proof that a forged signature is a tracing instead of a
simulation is any one of the following
■ Discovery of the actual model or genuine signature
from which it was made

-upon the request of an investigator Discovery of two or more identical common forgeries
which could only have been made from one model or
original
PREPARATION OF STANDARD FOR ■ Presence of pencil, carbon or intended outlines that
COMPARISON point to the tracing process
■ STANDARD DOCUMENT
Those things whose origin are known and can be
proven and which can be legally used as a samples to
compare with other matters in questioned Traced forgery will probably be defective in one or
more of the following:
• Basis for comparison
■ Natural movement, freedom and speed of writing
■ Only those which would occur in material exactly
as that in questioned or disputed document ■ Quality of line or stroke

Design and structure of the letters- roundness, ■ Pen-lifts, retouching, and shading
smoothness, angularity, and direction of the strokes ■ Selection and date of model signature
of letters
■ Pencil, carbon or indentation outlines pointing to a
■Look for the presence of retouching or patching tracing process
Connecting strokes, slant ratio, size and lateral
spacing

The forgers labour under stained mental and
muscular condition that makes it very difficult, if not
altogether impossible, to do his work in a skillful
manner brought about by:
• The realization that forgery is a criminal act
• Fear of discovery which certainly will result
to punishment and dishonor
• Painful anxiety to do the work well
Constant practice from memory, or the signature
model is placed in front of him. Portions of the
signature are mastered first, and finally, the signature
as a whole
■ The study and practice are carried on until the
forger feels the capability of writing a convincing
forgery
• SIMPLE FORGERY- best termed as "spurious
signature"
■ The forger who is confronted with the absence to
produce facsimile of the genuine, but merely signs
the name in his own, or in a modified handwriting,
and the contrives some means of passing the
document as his own with intent to gain before the
obvious fraud is discovered.
Detection of Forgery
■ Forgery is committed by any person who, with
intent to defraud, signed the name of another person,
or of a fictitious person, knowing that he has no
authority to do so; or falsely makes, alters, forges, or
counterfeits any check, draft and blue bills for the
payment property, or counterfeits or forges the seal or
of money or handwriting of another knowing the
same to be fake, altered, or forged or counterfeit with
intent to prejudice, damage or defraud any person.

• After each attempt, the forger compares it with the

genuine signature that he copied. Defects or errors
THE OLD PHILIPPINE PAPER BILL
are corrected in the future
1000
KINDS OF FORGERY;
BLUE
■ TRACED FORGERY- the result of an attempt to
transfer a fraudulent document an exact facsimile of a Jose Abad Santos, Joseta Llanes Escoda, Vicente
genuine signature or writing by some tracing process. Lim
Different Process of Tracing:
• CARBON PROCESSES (carbon outline 500
method)
• INDENTATION PROCESS YELLOW
• PROJECTION process) Benigno S. Aquino, Corazon C Aquino
• PROCESS (transmitted-light process

■ SIMULATED FORGERY- the motion is slow 100

and careful
MAUVE
■ The beginning and ending lines are usually blunt or
Manuel A. Roxas
clumsy in appearance
■How simulated forgery is produced:
50
The forger studies the genuine signature he intends to
copy. By this, he acquires the mental picture of the RED
letters design, lateral spacing, and other obvious
features Sergio Osmena
 20
ORANGE
Manuel L. Quezon

10
BROVIN
Apolinario Mabini & Andres Bonifacio

5
GREEN
Emilio Aguinaldo

All banknotes include a number of security

features, indicated on the front side:
1. embossed prints
2. serial number (in variable sized figures)
3. security fibers
4. watermark
5. see-through mark ("Pilipino" spelled in Baybayin,
letters, used before the arrival of the Spanish.)
6. concealed value
& security thread
8. optically variable device (only on 500 and 1000
peso notes)