Clues Left by Forgers

The Basics
Those who forge and alter documents professionally are excellent at disguising their writing, but duplicating another person's is difficult and sometimes clues are left behind. Firstly it needs to be understood that forgery is a legal term and not a forensic one. The legal term "forging" is used for ilegally made alterations and writing of documents with the intent to defraud.

An examiner inspecting a given document to detect alterations or entire fabrication looks for specific "tells" that will indicate whether or not the document is authentic or not. More specifically there are certain baseline and common mistakes that can be looked for.

Prior Drawing
Prior Drawing occurs when a forger traces the letters or documents that he wishes to reproduce, copy or alter out lightly on a page before continuing. This, while it may help them reproduce things more accurately, can leave a tell tale trace. The tracing effort they made can leave clues, mainly in the faintly drawn previous lines or in the slightly altered indentations on the page.

Speed and Pressure
Imagine writing something at the exact same speed, and the exact same pressure put on the instrument without ever having seen them write. That's what some forger's have to attempt and, as it sounds, it isn't easy. Alterations from the "norm" with the speed and pressure placed on the writing instrument can flag a document as being forged.

Forger's Tremor
Along with that difference in speed and pressure comes a certain tremble that can sneak into the writing. When you move very slowly in the effort to make something look exactly like something else the hand can shake in a way it wouldn't when writing naturally and normally.

Hesitations
If a forger begins to think their pen or pencil is moving in the wrong way, or is about to turn or if they believe they've done something incorrect they might stop and hesitate. If using a pen this can create a slight ink dot. If with a pencil it can change the turn and shape of the lines.

Unusual Pen Lifts
Along with hesitations when adjusting and attempting to create a better replica a forger can lift their pen at times that aren't normal or usual for the way they are writing. This can be a big hint as to whether a document is authentic or has been forged by someone.

Blunt Beginnings and Ends
Individuals will have distinct beginnings and endings to their letters, particular flourishes to end certain kinds of letters or writing. When attempting to forge this the ends will often come out blunted and inexact. This is an easy thing to find when trying to discern if a document has been fabricated as the letters will look only superficially similar.