Benefits of Hiring Forensic Document Examiner
A forensic document examiner is in charge of examining and verifying a variety of documents, including typewritten, paper, and ink samples, as well as handwritten samples and signatures. They employ their proficiency in document evaluation to spot modifications, forgeries, or other inconsistencies that can affect a document’s authenticity. A forensic document examiner may work for law enforcement agencies, governmental agencies, legal firms, private businesses, etc. They could also be asked to offer expert witness testimony in legal proceedings. To work as a forensic document examiner, one needs specific education and training in document examination and forensic science. Continue reading to find out the benefits of hiring a forensic document examiner.
Reasons You May Need A Forensic Document Examiner
Before knowing the benefits of hiring an expert document examiner, understand the reasons why you may need to employ a handwriting expert.
Possible Forgery
Most people see a handwriting analysis specialist because they suspect forgery, which is when someone signs someone else’s name without permission and uses it for their own benefit. Checks, contracts, wills, and other legal papers are frequently faked. Historical documents, including those attributed to William Shakespeare and Abraham Lincoln, have been shown to be forgeries. Sports stars’, politicians’, and actors’ autographs are frequently the target of forgeries for financial gain.
Suspected Wills Modification
A last will and testament might be changed in a variety of ways to benefit particular people. Alterations can take the form of fake, traced, or “cut and paste” signatures, incorrectly numbered pages, text insertions, page swaps, and more.
Prenuptial Agreement Amendments
Prenuptial contracts are susceptible to forgery or falsification as well. They are examined similarly to other documents to ascertain whether the signatures are real or not and whether the agreement has been modified.
Contracts Verification
Contracts must have the legitimate signatures of the responsible party. If not, a fake signature would usually render the agreement void.
Violent Offenses
The handwriting in threatening letters, confessions, and other papers that are sent to victims, police enforcement, the media, or well-known people frequently has to be examined.
Things A Forensic Document Examiner Analyse
Questioned Document Examination
Document examiners perform thorough investigations into a variety of topics, such as signatures, proof of modifications, indented imprints, paper, printing techniques, security and identification documents. The majority of inspections include comparing a questioned document to established criteria for authenticity. Original documents are preferred for the examiner to evaluate as much information as possible. Depending on the situation, a high-quality copy might be utilized in the absence of an original. The examiner’s observed qualities will be analyzed, compared, and evaluated, and any important findings will be documented in a report with supporting exhibits. Examiners will safeguard the papers received while working in a non-destructive setting to maintain the items’ integrity.
Perform Evidence Examination
A forensic document examiner will look at many different sorts of evidence, such as contracts, loan and banking documents, wills, deeds, cheques, and many others. Forensic document examiners excel at examining all types of documented evidence to provide you with the best service possible.
Conduct Document Analysis
Before any analysis begins, all questioned and known documents received by the Laboratory are given a designation, numbered, and labeled. After the documents have been appropriately labeled, the analysis process begins with a review of the full document without the use of any equipment, noting any restrictions, observations, and so on. Following the initial study, the examiner will do a more complete assessment, employing technology such as side lighting, transmitted light, and magnification to provide a more extensive analysis. The examiner will thoroughly note the images, observations, and drawings to give you a proper description. This is the initial step in analyzing documents.
Detecting Forged Signatures
If you need help with forged signature detection, a forensic document examiner can help you check a suspect’s signature on a document. A professional will carefully examine the line quality, speed, letter formations, height relationships, and size of the signature in order to determine whether or not it is authentic.
Perform Handwriting Analysis
If you are unable to understand the authenticity of handwriting, it’s probably best to hire a forensic document examiner. An examiner will carefully examine the handwriting to determine whether it is authentic or a copy. Does the writing exhibit qualities of a natural signature? (For example, speed, smoothness, and tapering beginning and ending strokes). The size, slant, connecting strokes, alignment, percentage of the letters, letter formations, baseline characteristics, etc., are all assessed as exceptional elements and handwriting attributes. If the handwriting is authentic, free of distortion or disguise, and shows internal consistency, it can be examined and contrasted with the known writing.
Check The Authentication of Documentation
A relevant, contemporary, and comparable document is ideal for comparing handwriting or a security document. Before incorporating known standards into a comparison analysis, they should be confirmed. Examiners of documents must rely on samples from the city, state, or nation of origin when comparing them to identity documents like passports. In order to share current information on security features or upgrades, most government laboratories have Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with nations. The officer or agent who collects the handwriting samples should also check them for accuracy. After that, they label it with name, date, time, and any other pertinent information so that these specimens can be used and submitted to a court of law, if necessary.
Analysis of Other Factors
- A forensic document examiner not only looks at handwriting but also tests ink samples non-destructively to see if the same ink or a different one was used to make the document.
- Another aspect of a forensic document examiner’s work is to analyze the paper used to compose the document. A watermark on the paper may reveal the date and firm that manufactured it.
Benefits of Hiring Forensic Document Examiner
- By hiring a forensic document examiner, you will deal with the most recent technology to carefully and minutely examine the signatures, thumbprints, and questioned documents.
- For the benefit of the court and the relevant authority, the professionals will provide detailed reports with a list of every observation.
- The professionals also prepare the reports with the necessary photographic chart demonstrations for your better understanding.
- The reports also include references to the authors’ opinions for the benefit of the court and the relevant authority.
- The most recent approaches are used to identify any forgery that may be present in the document being examined.
Tips for Selecting a Document Examiner
Follow these tips when choosing a qualified document examiner:
- Make sure they have the relevant certification.
- Inquire about their experience in the field.
The Endnote
A professional examiner evaluates documents that have been called into question in the judicial system as part of the forensic science discipline known as “questioned document examination.” In order to determine the kind and origin of the writing or printing on a document, professional forensic document examining companies, like Inside Ink, thoroughly inspect the questioned papers and compare various features of the document to accepted criteria. We at Inside Ink offer reliable handwriting, signature, or artwork examining services. You can always get in touch with our experts for any document evaluation.
She is a certified Graphologist since 2002 and is an expert in designing customized remedies to help her clients overcome various life issues like finance troubles, career growth, education, relationship problems, anxiety, guilt, fear and health issues like back pains, digestion/stomach related issues etc. She has done her M.Tech in IEOR from IIT Bombay. Her one-on-one guidance and customized solutions ensure that all her clients succeed and develop at a fast pace who come from all walks of life including entrepreneurs, students, business professionals, housewives, retirees, white-collar and blue-collar workers.