THE EVOLUTION OF THE SIMULATED SIGNATURE BY THE FORGER

Abstract

Forgery is a very common case of Forensic Document Examination which might refer to several further distinctions of expertise between handwriting and signature. Signatures are usually considered easier to imitate by the forgers due to their minor extension in relation to a handwritten text. The imitation of a signature could come into effect in different methods or ways, depending on the type of document, the forger’s ability and other factors connected to the historical parameters of the case. The ability of the forger to reproduce morphologically the authentic specimen is even related to the range of his graphic variation, his training in forging the specific specimen or other various factors that could affect not only his graphic expression, but also his choices in applying forgery. In cases of long lasting professional collaboration, the imitation of a person’s signature with his consent for a long period of time is a quite often phenomenon. Apart from the legal validity of such signatures, the evolution of the forged signature by the forger is not to be excluded, since the consent deliberates psychologically the forger, diminishes his anxiety and leaves space to a less accurate reproduction of the original specimen. In these cases there are more parameters to be taken into consideration and the time of habitual execution of the forged signature is crucial, since the repetitive imitation can result in different variations of the original signature’s model. The eventual modifications are studied in a practical case which presents several complications.