Forging a signature using computer technology. How computer technology is used to forge handwriting and signatures

ON THE. Ivanov,

associate professor of the departmentmathematics and information technology

NOU VPO "Omsk Law Institute",

Candidate of Legal Sciences

Annotation. The article discusses modern Computer techologies, which can be and are already used to forge handwritten handwriting and signatures.

Its implementation is achieved thanks to special machines that simultaneously use different inks. This effect prevents fraudulent reproduction through offset photocopying in color, since these media cannot reproduce the nuances and tones of ink, producing only approximate colors. Typography This is the oldest known method of reproduction. Typographic printing comes directly from the printing press with moving types. It is based on receiving ink in the relief areas of the types, and then it is transferred to the support through direct application.

Keywords: forgery, handwritten handwriting and signatures, computer technology, pantograph.

Attention: computer technology handwrittenand handwritten signature falsification

N.A. Ivanov

Annotation. The modern compute technologies are examined in the article which can be used and already taken for handwritten and handwritten signature falsification.

Keywords: falsification, handwritten, handwritten signature, computer technology.

A little more than two years have passed since the publication of the manual “Verifying the Authenticity of Documents and Personal Identification from Photographs in Notarial Practice.” However, technologies for falsifying documents and their details do not stand still and are constantly being improved, which requires constant updating of the information necessary for notaries in their practical activities. this work is devoted to computer technologies for forging handwritten handwriting and signatures.

By way of illustration, it helps to visualize how you control the print. It is usually used to create serial numbers in documents, such as invoices. Its main characteristic is that ink tends to accumulate at the edges of the print. Guilloche This is a traditional system that consists of developing structures with a complex morphology in which fine lines intersect. The currently used modality is guilloche negative edges with repetitions, which have very fine lines that are not reproduced when the document is copied, observing white areas instead.

In 1603, the German astronomer Christoph Scheiner invented the pantograph - a device for making copies of drawings, plans, etc. References to the use of a pantograph to forge signatures and handwriting are found in many textbooks and workshops on criminology and forensic science. In the age of computer technology, the pantograph, invented more than 400 years ago, is no longer used. It was replaced by plotters - devices for automatically drawing on paper or other similar media using a writing (drawing) block with great accuracy of drawings, diagrams, complex drawings, maps and other graphic information contained in computer files.

Latent Image Typically printed in gravure with a background to interfere with offset. They are achieved by making changes to the printed lines, and they are only visible when we view the document at eye level, laying it down obliquely. Numismatics. The effect of letters is in improvement, which is achieved by changing the direction of the lines of the pattern, usually done in offset. A better modality is obtained by changing the thickness of the lines. Excellent registration or "Transparency". This is a design created by printing on both sides of a document at the same time.

Plotters, also called plotters, are divided into two main groups: flatbed and moving media. In flatbed plotters (see Fig. 1), the media is fixedly mounted on a flat table. The drawing block moves in two perpendicular directions. Media size is limited by the size of the tablet.

Rice. 1. Flatbed plotter

The images printed on both sides match perfectly when viewed against the light, and between them they fill in the image of interest. Currently there are computer programs, which imitate this type of design, but unlike handmade ones, they have permanent, unchanging patterns. Modulations Here we group some projects that are created by changing the pixels of the design, modulating some small lines or nanocells. The first is known as the scrambled mark pattern, which is only visible using a special decoding mica, and we only find it in some identification documents, such as the Mexican consular certificate issued in the United States or the one issued to Guatemalan citizens.

Plotters with moving media, in turn, are divided into: drum plotters, in which the media of a fixed size is mounted on a rotating drum, and roll plotters, in which the media (in principle, unlimited in length) moves in the forward and reverse directions using feed rollers (see Fig. .2). In moving media plotters, the writing block moves in only one direction, and the drawing process is ensured by the simultaneous movement of the writing block and media.

We find it in bills, identity documents, etc. in Mexico it appears on our tickets and passports. Rainbow ink is a pearl ink that has color variations, and it is impossible to copy them. In Mexico it is included in our tickets. Holograms There are many holograms. Simple color change or with three-dimensional. Although this element has been in use for a long time, it has recently begun to be used in some notes, such as Euro, for example. This resource is used in some bank checks.

Metal Reagents These inks, which contain microcrystals, are usually not visible to the naked eye, but they become visible when rubbed with a metal object. We find them in some national checks. They are made from black iron oxide magnetic ink.


Rice. 2. Roll plotter

Various writing instruments can be used in the drawing block of a plotter: pens with a tubular (wick) writing unit (incographs), filled with special ink (usually used in so-called recorders), traditional writing instruments fixed in the writing block with capillary (felt-tip pens or liners) or ballpoint writing unit (ballpoint and gel pens, rollerballs) or fountain pens.

Its reading is done using electronic machine, which detects any changes or modifications. Imitations of an original document We understand imitation as the fraudulent reproduction of an original document or some of its elements. Integral imitations are usually produced using offset and modern use with a color copier. In all cases, the resulting qualities will be insufficient: lack of sharpness of strokes, poor definition of the background, imperfections in the nuances of tones, etc. but where there will be more differences are in those security measures that involve serious difficulties of imitation: paper quality, watermarks, fluorescent fibrils, security thread, etc. in these cases the imitation will be so insufficient that their detection will be quick and safe, and in many cases they will not even try to make it false, so their absence is also a signature to postulate its falsity.

Using a plotter you can draw any curve. In order to use a plotter to draw a computer copy of an original handwritten signature, the following technology can be used.

The first stage is to scan the signature. The second stage is on the monitor screen using a special software reference points, direction and trajectory of movement of the writing block are determined.

As more frequent partial imitations, we can mention:  imitating wet stamps with a marker, swabs or making all rubber stamps. Fraudulent changes to real documents Fraudulent changes are usually found in data or elements of authentic documents. For the first one you use: erasers, razor blades, blades, etc. Which usually cause significant damage in the affected area: loss of satin, lifting of fibers, greater transparency, ink diffusion, etc. the most common case is the replacement of the original photograph, since it is necessary for the use of the document by a person other than its legal owner.

Subsequently, this signature in the form of a given curve is drawn on a fake document using a plotter. Forging a signature using the technology described above does not require the use of expensive equipment: today a budget cutting roll plotter can be purchased for about $400. Replacing the cutting unit with a holder for a writing instrument will cost another $50. However, the implementation of such technology in practice requires, firstly, the involvement of a handwriting expert, and, secondly, a qualified programmer.

To do this, use one of the following methods:  Lifting the fixing brackets.  Cutting protective plastic in an area limited around the perimeter of the photograph. Once the original has been removed, the false one is placed in its place, proceeding to a new lamination to hide the change.  Removing original plastic using: heat, steam or solvents. Cases have also been found where, after washing the data and replacing the photograph, a new lamination was performed on which false data was recorded.

As examples, we can see the inclusion of a spouse or children in an individual passport. This type of change is common in checks in which the original amount is changed to increase its value, taking advantage of the fact that small gaps remain. In other cases, the goal is to validate an expired passport or one that is included in invalid lists by changing the pages on which the numbering or data output appears. This method is also usually presented in documents that consist of several sheets or folios, as in the case of contracts between individuals, for deleting, modifying or adding a proposal.

A case of expert examination of a document in which “handwritten” text and signature were drawn using a plotter is described in the specialized domestic literature. In fact, the only sign on which the experts came to this conclusion was the absence of gradations of pressure when performing flexion and extension movements.

Use of a genuine blank document illegally issued. In this case, counterfeiters receive authentic documents without alteration or imitation, but without filling in the data. Subsequently, they fill them with data that interests them, giving them an aspect of authenticity. Example: in Spain, with a false national identity card, a passport was obtained that met all the characteristics of an authentic one, since it was issued by the relevant authority. Perhaps we find original documents relating to their subject, but not authentic in spirit.

The famous Canadian writer, Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood, trying to solve the problem of signing copies of her books without leaving home and without going on foreign tours, in 2004 turned to one of the famous Canadian companies in the field of robotics, Quanser Consulting Inc. .

In September 2006, a presentation of online remote signing of book copies took place using a device that was registered under the LongPen™ trademark. Moreover, M. Atwood was in Canada, and the executive writing mechanism (see Fig. 3) was located in one of the London bookstores.

That is, it contains all the material elements of a genuine document, since the counterfeiter has removed the equipment officially used for its issue, but since it was not issued by an institution or competent authority. An example in Mexico is the looting that has occurred in recent years of all equipment and materials used to develop voter credentials. Another modality is legally executed documents, but due to a quality control error in the process, any internal elements of the document are missing, so it becomes unreliable in revision, although its origin is original. Imaginary Documents Finally, we will mention for our only and anecdotal character of a series of counterfeit passports, which consist in the invention of official organisms that do not exist, taking advantage of the good faith of people who, due to pompous names, believe in their authenticity,  This method is invalid for the expert, since he immediately checks its falsity.

Rice. 3. General view of the LongPen™ writing unit

But Quanser Consulting Inc. is not alone. addressed the topic of creating a robotic arm for computer copying handwritten signatures and handwriting. The American company Damilic Corporation has developed and markets several devices for drawing signatures. One of the most compact models Autopen PT (Portable Tabletop) is shown in Fig. 4.

Methods of Analysis First, we will cover specific methods for detecting each type of forgery, ending with a general outline of the various stages and operations of documentary research. Imitations In imitations we will pay attention to the following elements: Print quality.  Fluorescence of paper.  Security measures.  Wet and dry seals.  Visas.  Signature and name of the authority or authority issuing the document.  Quality of binding.  Type of coverings or gaskets.  Photo fixation and protection system.  Serial number.

For this, we must have authentic copies to facilitate the sorting work. It must be warned that there are countries that change the model, keeping the new and old valid for some time. It is therefore recommended, in case of doubt or lack of original documents, to consult the relevant diplomatic delegation. Visualization of a document using a stereoscopic microscope to detect satin loss, fiber absorption and ink diffusion if it has been written on it.


Rice. 4. General view of Autopen PT

Robotic arms are developed and produced for completely legal purposes: for example, for signing informal documents, postcards, congratulations, etc. But, as has repeatedly happened with many achievements of scientific and technological progress, they are beginning to be actively used in illegal activities. And in such conditions, practicing lawyers and experts, unfortunately, most often find themselves in the role of catching up, unable to work “ahead of the curve.”

Using ultraviolet light to observe the different fluorescence of the altered area. Analysis of a soluble product is recommended only in exceptional cases and with prior judicial approval, as it involves partial destruction of the document to obtain samples for analysis. In both cases, the reading or reconstruction of the original data will depend on the intensity of erasures or scratches and the power of the draft. Substitution of data and other elements can be detected  Comparison of questionable elements with authentic ones.  Observation of its fluorescence and safety measures.  Print quality comparison.  Examine the photographic area to detect double lamination, cuts in the original, glue residue, paper tear deterioration, wet and dry stamp correspondence between the area printed on the photograph and the existing sheet that supports it.

If today an attacker uses one of the above-described devices to draw a signature, which, by the way, simulate gradations of pressure, then the author of the article believes that experts are unlikely to be able to establish the fact of using such a forgery technology, since they do not have methods for identifying traces of their use during forgery signatures and handwriting.

In the case of sewing with staples, we will look at: sagging or deterioration of the holes in the paper; presence of oxide residues that contrast with pure appearance those used to make new sewing; the existence of several holes indicating the replacement of legal brackets; erasures or corrections to a page; perforated number and its perfect match; paper fluorescence; print quality, since there were cases of intercalation of copies of authentic sheets after data washing, etc. use of authentic blank documents.

Donna Kinoshita, vice president of Unochit Inc., in her speech at the 2008 Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas (USA), argued that American experts were unable to distinguish a signature made using a LongPen from a genuine handwritten one. Perhaps this was pure PR for the developers, but the difficulties in diagnosing such technology for computer drawing of signatures were reported by Canadian expert Diane Kruger in her report at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Expert Sciences in 2008. Forensic Sciences, February 18–23, 2008, Washington, DC).

In such conditions, handwriting experts and experts in the field of technical examination of document details are actually powerless to identify or prove the fact of such a forgery of a document, including in cases where such a document will be prepared on behalf of a particular notary.

More than 100 years ago, the outstanding Russian criminologist E.F. Burinsky wrote: “ An expert may not only make a mistake in good faith, but also commit obvious negligence, the consequence of which will be an incorrect court verdict. Now no one is responsible for this, neither the expert himself, nor the judges who elected him, and the innocent defendant pays for a forged document to a triumphant forger ". A century later, this phrase, taking into account the above, only becomes more relevant.


Ivanov N.A., Zinin A.M. Verifying the authenticity of documents and identifying individuals from photographs in notarial practice. Educational and practical manual. M.: FRPC, 2008 (Series “Notary Library”).

Panova T.O., Milovanova O.Yu., Karpukhina E.S. A comprehensive study of the imitation of handwritten details (a case from expert practice) // Theory and practice of forensic examination. 2008. No. 3 (11). pp. 118-121.

Burinsky E.F. Forensic examination of documents, its production and use. St. Petersburg Printing house St. Petersburg. T-va Print. and Publishing House Cases "Trud", 1903. P. 34.


A signature is a special type of manuscript that reflects a person’s surname in the form of letters or conventional written signs and has an identification purpose.

An individual and dynamically stable program of graphic writing techniques, which is based on the image of making signatures, implemented using a system of movements, is signature handwriting.

Signatures are classified depending on:

a) belonging to a person - on behalf of an existing person, on behalf of a fictitious person;

b) identification value - genuine, inauthentic;

c) conditions of execution - in natural conditions, intentionally or unintentionally changed.

Signatures in their composition are: alphabetic - the signature consists only of letters; lined - the signature consists of strokes that do not form letters; mixed - the signature consists of both letters and non-letter elements. In addition, signatures can be: complete - when all the letters of the surname are present in the signature; abbreviated; complicated ones - when adding initials or conditional combinations of strokes, and in the final part of the signature - a stroke. The greatest difficulty in the study is represented by letterless signatures. However, with a deep study of them, it is possible to identify small features (for example, a peculiar property of movements), which are additional identification features.

Graphic signature features include:

1) stroke - the direction of the final stroke;

2) the ratio of the lines of the base of the letter and the upper ends of the strokes;

3) gladiolage - reducing the size of strokes towards the end of the signature;

4) the position of the signature relative to the text of the document and the ruling on the paper.

Intentionally changing one's own signature in order to renounce it in the future is called auto-forgery.

The signature is the most important requisite of the document, giving it legal force.

When forging signatures, the forger first of all strives to give the maximum external resemblance of the forged signature to the sample signature. This is achieved different ways. In some cases - by imitating the handwriting and signature of the person on whose behalf the signature is made, in others - with the help of certain technical techniques that serve to achieve accurate reproduction of the original signature. The second type of forgery is called technical forgery of signatures.

The following types of technical forgery of signatures are known:

1) preliminary drawing of the signature in pencil followed by tracing;

2) copying the signature through carbon paper, by pressing or against the light (through glass);

3) transfer of dye from the original signature to a counterfeit document using substances with increased copying ability;

4) photomechanical, electrographic. Recently, methods for forging signatures using electronic technology, in particular, a personal computer (PC) with a scanner and printer (usually laser), have become increasingly common.

Signs of technical forgery of a signature by copying are:

a) slowness of movements, manifested in the tortuosity of straight lines and angularity of oval elements of letters, blunt beginnings and endings of strokes, traces of unreasonable stops of the writing instrument;

b) the presence of two combined (completely or with a certain degree of accuracy) groups of strokes: primary, which are preliminary pencil preparations or strokes of copy paper, as well as traces of pressure in the form of unpainted grooves, and secondary, resulting from tracing. In addition, in all cases of copying in a fake signature, some features will differ from those of a genuine signature, since it is difficult to maintain the accuracy of movements when tracing.

Traces of preliminary pencil preparation and remnants of strokes from carbon paper are detected during microscopic examination, under color separation conditions (if they are covered by strokes of the secondary stroke) or using an image intensifier because they are “opaque” to IR rays.

Traces of pressure that do not coincide with the strokes of the strokes are detected under oblique lighting.

When wet copying a signature by transferring dye from the original signature using substances with good copying ability (emulsion layer of photographic paper, the white of a hard-boiled egg, etc.), the following symptoms are characteristic: weak and uneven coloring of strokes, smudges of dye in strokes, fuzzy “blurred” edges of strokes, no traces of a writing instrument. In some cases, you can also observe extraneous strokes that are not related to the signature, copied along with the signature: graphing lines, strokes of a seal impression intersecting with the signature, text located next to the signature. Traces of a copying substance (gelatin, protein, starch, etc.) may be detected.

The photomechanical method of forging signatures consists of making a zincographic plate corresponding to the original signature. From such a cliche the rubber one can be reproduced. The cliches themselves and the signature images obtained with their help are called facsimiles. Currently, electronic computing and duplicating equipment are used to obtain a facsimile image.

Facsimile signatures coincide with the original original signature in all small details, are combined in the light, but have features of the microstructure of strokes characteristic of fixing the image.

Signatures made using printers personal computers in combination with a scanner, they are high-quality facsimile copies of original signatures. In case of use laser printer the image is formed electrographically. The strokes of such a signature consist of finely dispersed melted particles that have magnetic properties, have a discrete linear structure, uneven edges, variable width, and in some areas the strokes are interrupted. This picture is clearly observed upon microscopic examination.

The specificity of studying signatures to identify technical forgery and its type lies in the combination of handwriting and technical research techniques.

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