What is a Forensic Document Examiner?

To determine the authenticity and origin of a document, a forensic document examiner examines all aspects of it, including handwriting, typewriting, fingerprinting, commercial printing, photocopies, inks, and papers. Within the document, analysts look for alterations, deletions, additions, and substitutions that point to forgery. If a forgery is discovered, analysts try to pinpoint unique characteristics to determine where it came from. Wills, medical records, deeds, time sheets, insurance policies, income tax records, loan agreements, contracts, checks, election petitions, and letters with no identified authors are among the most frequently examined documents by analysts.

Forensic document examiners prefer to work with documents that have not been altered in any way. The reason for this is that when documents are copied or otherwise reproduced, such as by fax, writing details can be lost. However, if the copy is of high quality and the circumstances allow it, an examination of the copy may be conducted. A high-resolution scan may be considered a suitable sample depending on the examiner and the document.

Before examining a document, an analyst might look for a comparable document to compare it to. In terms of style, print, and case, analysts try to find a valid second document that closely resembles the original. The more closely the second document resembles the first, the more likely the forensic document examiner will be able to complete his investigation successfully.

Age, gender, and the hand with which a person writes cannot be determined despite the myriad of details that a forensic document examiner can ascertain. Similarly, while a forensic document examiner can identify a document as a forgery, determining the forger’s identity is less likely. In addition to documents written in English, forensic document examiners can examine documents written in other languages. This, however, necessitates the analyst’s familiarity with the language’s nuances and writing style. Distinguishing strokes, for example, differ between languages.

The most important training a forensic document examiner receives is from a more experienced forensic document examiner. This hands-on training is essential for any aspiring analyst, as knowing the difference between the variations of one person’s handwriting and the differences between two different people’s handwriting is an important part of the job. A graphologist should not be confused with a forensic document examiner. The latter looks at handwriting and tries to deduce personality traits from it.