Forgery & Altered Documents…Part III By Dana Turner
Document Alteration Techniques…continued
Printing
By using a typewriter or computer desktop program, blank "starter" checks or similar documents appear printed by a document manufacturer. If it is a computer-aided alteration or forgery, the printing will likely be accomplished in one of three ways:
Daisy-wheel typewriter or dot-matrix printer - printers that are known as "impact" printers, because they create a character when the print head strikes the printer ribbon, leaving a mark and an indentation ("crater") on the surface of the paper. Print quality and clarity is poor-to-moderate, and a uniform "blister" will appear on the reverse of the item.
Ink-jet printer - creates an image when the print head nozzle sprays ink onto the paper, leaving a mark - but no indentation. Print quality and clarity are very good-to-excellent, but examination with a magnifying glass will reveal the minute jagged edges of the printed characters. No "blister" is created on the reverse of the item.
Laser printer - creates an image when the heated print roller "melts" the toner, bonding the toner to the surface of the paper, leaving a "ridge" of toner, and no indentation on the surface. Print quality is very good-to-excellent, but scratching a line or character printed on the paper with a fingernail will reveal the ridge. Offset presses used to print legitimate documents do not create this ridge.
Imprinting Machine & "Jailhouse Art"
Checks may say, "Guaranteed-funds" and other documents have the "amount payable" information imprinted on them in what appears to be a series of solidly printed characters. The words and symbols are actually a pattern created by a series of lines or dots. Imprinting a document in this way creates a uniform indentation ("crater") on the surface of the paper. Imprinting also creates a uniform "blister" on the reverse of the paper, similar to one created during the impact-printing process.
Two special alteration and forgery opportunities exist with imprinted documents:
When a company orders an imprinting machine, it typically also orders the "insert" that precedes - and is printed at the same time as - the "amount payable" information. This "insert" often contains the company's logo, name, or an abbreviation of the company's name. Documents issued by financial institutions should always contain appropriate "insert" information. Absence of appropriate "insert" information often indicates a forged or altered document.
Information created by an imprinting machine may be altered on the document's face by using a fine-line ballpoint or felt-tip pen. This alteration is accomplished by carefully drawing lines or dots, simulating the pattern created by the imprinting machine. The reverse of the document will be "blistered" and stretched in the altered area if this technique - known as "jail-house art" - is used to alter a document. Dots created by check writing machines may be painstakingly punched, one by one, with a pin or a needle.
Magnetic Routing Number
Rubbing the encoding number on the bottom of the document with a coin can demagnetize the ink used to print this number. This defacing may cause the item to become mis-routed, causing a delay in payment. The reverse of the document will be "blistered" and stretched in the area of the number if this technique is used to alter a document, because of the pressure of the "rub". A gray or shiny film will also usually coat the area of the number on the document's face. The ink used to create counterfeit documents is usually not magnetic. An item-processing machine will reject this type of document, which slows down processing and return.
Defense Mechanisms
The two best defense tools against forgery and document alteration continue to be simple ones - a magnifying glass to examine the paper, signature(s) or marks left by printing devices; and a flashlight to illuminate the document's surface while using the magnifying glass, and to shine under the document's reverse side to reveal "shadows" caused by an alteration.
Forgery Suspects
There are several forgery suspect categories - and the most commonly-recognized ones include:
Business forgeries;
Family and friend forgeries;
Substance abuse and addiction forgeries; and
Career offender forgeries - tend to be more professional
Business Forgeries
Working within a business offers many opportunities to steal, particularly if the business practices ineffective internal controls. These crimes are committed by persons involved in the business and have an intimate working knowledge of the practices involved with running the business (e.g., partners, secretaries, sales people, bookkeepers, accountants, and delivery persons). People in these roles often have access to negotiable and non-negotiable documents, such as:
Signature information;
Checks and account balances, and deposit and withdrawal slips;
Credit cards, receipts and imprinters;
Contracts;
Business financial data concerning partners, clients and inventory; and
Safety deposit box key and location.
Family & Friend Forgeries
Living areas where family and friends access offer many opportunities to steal. These crimes are committed by family members, or by friends of those members who have access to negotiable and non-negotiable documents, such as:
Signature information;
Checks and account balances, and deposit and withdrawal slips;
Authorization notes for withdrawal or conversion purposes;
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