QUESTIONED DOCUMENT

EXAMINATION
KINDS OF DOCUMENTS
UNDER THE
PHILIPPINE LAW
 KINDS OF DOCUMENT

1.Public Document
Any instrument notarized by
notary public or competent public
official with solemnities required
by law.
 KINDS OF DOCUMENT

2. Official Document
Any instrument issued by the
Government or its agents or its officers
having the authority to do so and the
officers, which in accordance with their
creation, they are authorized to issue.
 KINDS OF DOCUMENT

3. Private Document
Every deed or instrument executed by
a private person without the intervention of
notary public or of any other person legally
authorized, by which documents, some
disposition or
agreement is proved
evidenced or set forth.
 KINDS OF DOCUMENT

4. Commercial Document
Any instrument executed in
accordance with the Code of
Commerce or any Mercantile Law,
containing disposition of
commercial rights or obligations.
SCIENTIFIC PROCESS
IN THE
EXAMINATION OF
HANDWRITING
 SCIENTIFIC PROCESS IN THE
EXAMINATION OF
HANDWRITING

• 1. Analysis of Characteristics
• This process involves the
observation, measurement and/
or determination or properties or
characteristics.
 SCIENTIFIC PROCESS IN THE
EXAMINATION OF
HANDWRITING

• 2. Comparison of Characteristics
• This process entails the actual
comparison of the properties or
characteristics of an unknown item
determined through analysis with
familiar or recorded characteristics of
known items.
 SCIENTIFIC PROCESS IN THE
EXAMINATION OF
HANDWRITING

• 3. Evaluation of Characteristics
• The process of correct
interpretation of characteristics will
each have a certain value of
identification determined by their
likelihood of occurrence. The weight or
significance of each characteristics.
 SCIENTIFIC PROCESS IN THE
EXAMINATION OF
HANDWRITING

• 3. Evaluation of Characteristics
• The process of correct
interpretation of characteristics will
each have a certain value of
identification determined by their
likelihood of occurrence. The weight or
significance of each characteristics.
SEARCHING FOR
EVIDENTIAL
DOCUMENTS
 SEARCHING FOR EVIDENTIAL
DOCUMENTS

Standard Document
Things whose origin are known
and can be proven and which can
be legally used as samples to
compare with other matters in
questioned.
 SEARCHING FOR EVIDENTIAL
DOCUMENTS

• Collected or Procured
• Document executed in
the person’s day to day business,
official, social or personal
activities.
 SEARCHING FOR EVIDENTIAL
DOCUMENTS

• Collected or Procured
• Documents previously
written in the normal and day to
day course of business and known
to be genuine.

•
 SEARCHING FOR EVIDENTIAL
DOCUMENTS

• Requested or Prepared
• Those which are given or
made upon the request of an
investigator for purpose of making
comparative examination with the
questioned writing.

•
 SEARCHING FOR EVIDENTIAL
DOCUMENTS

• Requested or Prepared
• Those which are given or
made upon the request of an
investigator for purpose of making
comparative examination with the
questioned writing.

•
 SEARCHING FOR EVIDENTIAL
DOCUMENTS

Standard Document
• Requested or Prepared
• Samples that the subject is
requested to give in order to facilitate
the document examination.

•
BASIC POINTS THAT
SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED IN
OBTAINING
STANDARDS
 BASIC POINTS THAT SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED IN OBTAINING STANDARDS

Collected Standards

1. Amount of writing standards.

At least 7 standards usually constitute
sufficient amount.

• Rule:
• 10 is better than 7
• 15 is better than 10
• 20 is better than 15
 BASIC POINTS THAT SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED IN OBTAINING STANDARDS

Collected Standards

2. Similarity of the subject matter.

Only like things are to be compared.
 BASIC POINTS THAT SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED IN OBTAINING STANDARDS

Collected Standards

3. Relative dates of the standards with

the questioned matter.
Standards for comparison should
relatively contemporary in dates.
 BASIC POINTS THAT SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED IN OBTAINING STANDARDS

Collected Standards

4. Kinds of writing instrument and paper used.

Writing instrument and paper might
influence the quality of writing.
 BASIC POINTS THAT SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED IN OBTAINING STANDARDS

Collected Standards

5. Writing Conditions
Conditions both of the writer and the
relative position under which questioned writing
was executed should be taken into consideration.
 BASIC POINTS THAT SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED IN OBTAINING STANDARDS

Requested Standards

Questioned material must be dictated.

Dictated text must be carefully selected
Adequate amount of writing must be included.
 Some portions of dictation must be repeated at
least 3 times.
 Writing instrument and paper used
should be similar to those used in the
QD.
 INVESTIGATION AND DETAILED
EXAMINATION OF SIGNATURE

Signature
The name of the person written by him in a
document as a sign of acknowledgment.

In law, signatures are put at the end of a

legal instrument to show that it is valid.

The personal mark of an individual.

 INVESTIGATION AND DETAILED
EXAMINATION OF SIGNATURE

Styles of Signature
Conventional
The signature which is readable and
the form of letter strokes are complete.
 INVESTIGATION AND DETAILED
EXAMINATION OF SIGNATURE

Styles of Signature
 Highly Individualized
The signature which is more often not
readable and has a series of ornamental
strokes.
 INVESTIGATION AND DETAILED
EXAMINATION OF SIGNATURE

Classes of Signature
Formal or Complete
The signature which is used in
acknowledging important document such as
will, checks, contract and business papers.
 INVESTIGATION AND DETAILED
EXAMINATION OF SIGNATURE

Classes of Signature
 Informal or Cursory
• The signature which is used
in routinary document or made for
personal correspondence.
 FUNCTION AND TYPES OF
SIGNATURES

The traditional function of a signature is evidential:

it is to give evidence
the provenance of the document
the intention of an individual with
regard to that document.
 FORGERY

It is committed by any person who, with intent

to defraud signs the name of another person, or of
a fictitious person, knowing that he has no authority
to do so; or falsely, alters, forges or counterfeits
any check, draft, due-bill for the payment of money
or property, or counterfeits of forges the seal or
handwriting of another knowing defraud any
person.
 FORGERY

A purposeful attempt to make a fraudulent

copy of something, whenever it is a signature,
money or piece of art.

An intent to defraud, a legal term which

involves not only a non-genuine document but also
an intent on the part of the maker to defraud.
 FORGERY OF SIGNATURE

A forge signature is the signature

of another person or of a fictitious
person written by another who has no
authority to do so, with intent to
defraud.
KINDS OF FORGERY
 KINDS OF FORGERY

• Simple Forgery
The forger signs in the
absence of the facsimile of the
genuine signature.

Example:

Genuine Signature Simple Forgery

 KINDS OF FORGERY

• Simulated Forgery
• The forger simulate the genuine
signature or handwriting.

Example:

Genuine Signature Simple Forgery

 KINDS OF FORGERY

• Traced Forgery
• The result of an attempt
to transfer to a fraudulent document
an exact facsimile of a genuine signature
or writing by some tracing process.
•
Example:

Genuine Signature Simple Forgery

 KINDS OF FORGERY

• Traced Forgery

Kinds of Traced Forgery

Carbon-Medium Tracing
• This is done with the aid of
carbon paper interleave between a
blank paper, used with apparent
force of writing, then afterwards marked
over with ink.
 KINDS OF FORGERY

• Traced Forgery

Kinds of Traced Forgery

Indentation Process
The type indentation
or canal- like outlines of the
genuine signature is
produced on the fraudulent
document with considerable
pressure with any sharp pointed
instrument.
 KINDS OF FORGERY

• Traced Forgery

Kinds of Traced Forgery

Projection Process
A spurious document is
placed immediately over the genuine
signature, with strong light directed
through the two sheets of paper from
below. The outline that is seen
through the upper sheet is then
traced.
 KINDS OF FORGERY

• Traced Forgery

Kinds of Traced Forgery

• Photocopy Forgery

Photocopies can be prepared from

a composite of parts of two or more
documents which, when copied, can
appear to be a reproduction of a
single document.
 KINDS OF FORGERY

• Traced Forgery

Kinds of Traced Forgery

• Desktop Forgery
A personal
computer with imaging software
such as adobe photoshop, flatbed
scanner and a standard printer.
 KINDS OF FORGERY

• Traced Forgery

Kinds of Traced Forgery

• Electronic Signature
It is produced
through digitized tablet with the
uses of a digital pen which is
using electronic documents for
transactions.
 INDICATIONS OF FORGERY

Abrupt changes of directions of lines or strokes, showing

uncertainty of movement.
Presence of carbon, pencil or indentations along the lines
of strokes.
Hesitations and pen stops at unusual place.
Lack of variation in pen pressure.
Blunt initial and terminal strokes.
 Careful patching or retouching.
 INDICATIONS OF FORGERY

Intermediate strokes where pen comes off the paper but

not stopped showing continuity of motion.

Free flowing movement indicating freedom of writing.

Abbreviated, distorted, illegible forms.

Flying starts and vanishing finishes.

 Defective line quality.

 INDICATIONS OF FORGERY

Intermediate strokes where pen comes off the paper but

not stopped showing continuity of motion.

Free flowing movement indicating freedom of writing.

Abbreviated, distorted, illegible forms.

Flying starts and vanishing finishes.

 Defective line quality.

 INDICATIONS OF FORGERY

Tremors (fraudulent)

Unnatural pen-lifts

Misplaced shadings

Concealed joining
 INDICATIONS OF GENUINESS

Genuine retouching
Natural variations
Good line quality
Skillful shading
Ink failure
 INDICATIONS OF GENUINESS

Genuine retouching
Natural variations
Good line quality
Skillful shading
Ink failure
 PROOF OF GENUINENESS

Anything of any kind that indicates that the writer

was not thinking about the writing is evidence of
genuineness to contradistinguish it from which is a self-
conscious, careful act.
 P R O C E D U R E F O R O B TA I N I N G C O L L E C T E D S TA N D A R D :
S P E C I M E N W R I T T E N I N T H E C O U R S E O F D A I LY A F FA I R S

Signature Investigations
 Obtain at least 15 to 20 genuine signatures.
 Produce ink signature for comparison with questioned
ink specimens pencil standards for comparison with
questioned pencil specimens.
 Secure when available, genuine signatures used
for different purpose as the questioned.
 P R O C E D U R E F O R O B TA I N I N G C O L L E C T E D S TA N D A R D :
S P E C I M E N W R I T T E N I N T H E C O U R S E O F D A I LY A F FA I R S

Signature Investigations

 Produce standard signatures of approximately the

same date as the disputed.
 Secure, whenever possible, some signature written on
forms or papers of the same size as questioned
document.
 P R O C E D U R E F O R O B TA I N I N G C O L L E C T E D S TA N D A R D :
S P E C I M E N W R I T T E N I N T H E C O U R S E O F D A I LY A F FA I R S

DONT’S
 Do not rely on only one or two standard signatures.

 Do not depend entirely upon other types of writing

specimens.

 Do not rely exclusively upon signatures used for every

different purpose than the questioned.
 P R O C E D U R E F O R O B TA I N I N G C O L L E C T E D S TA N D A R D :
S P E C I M E N W R I T T E N I N T H E C O U R S E O F D A I LY A F FA I R S

DONT’S

 Do not submit pencil signatures for comparison with

questioned ink writing or for comparison with questioned
pencil specimens.

 Do not use signatures written during extreme illness or

intoxication, except for comparison with specimens
executed under similar conditions.
 P R O C E D U R E F O R O B TA I N I N G C O L L E C T E D S TA N D A R D :
S P E C I M E N W R I T T E N I N T H E C O U R S E O F D A I LY A F FA I R S

DONT’S
 Do not depend or recently written signatures for
comparison with specimens written 20 or 30 years ago.

 Do not collect only the recommended minimum number

of signatures if more specimens are available.
 P R O C E D U R E F O R O B TA I N I N G R E Q U E S T S TA N D A R D S : S P E C I M E N S
W R I T T E N F O R C O M PA R I S O N P U R P O S E S AT T H E R E Q U E S T O F T H E
I N V E S T I G AT I N G O F F I C E R

Signature Investigations

DO’S
 Obtain at least 25 to 30 specimen signatures.
 Have writer make out specimen checks or receipts
in performance to furnishing signatures alone.
 If questioned signatures are in ink, have
suspect write with pen; if in pencil, with pencil.
 P ROC E DURE F OR OBTA IN ING RE QUE S T S TANDARDS :
S P E C I ME NS WRI T TE N F OR C OMPARI S ON P URP OS E S AT THE
RE QUE S T OF THE I NVE S TI G ATI NG OF F I C E R

Signature Investigations

DO’S
 Require suspect to write each signature on separate
sheet of paper.

 Provide paper or forms of the same size, shape,

composition, and ruling as the
questioned documents.
 P ROC E DURE F OR OBTA IN ING RE QUE S T S TANDARDS :
S P E C I ME NS WRI T TE N F OR C OMPARI S ON P URP OS E S AT THE
RE QUE S T OF THE I NVE S TI G ATI NG OF F I C E R

Signature Investigations

DO’S
 Whenever possible, take a portion of the standards
on different ways; always interrupt preparation of
standards once or twice for rest periods.

 Provide normal writing conditions.

 INVESTIGATION OF OTHER SPECIMENS OF
HANDWRITING AND HAND PRINTING

DO’S

 Produce at least 4 or 5 pages of handwriting or hand printing.

 If questioned writing is in ink, secure ink standards; if in pencil,

submit pencil standards.

 Produce some specimens written prior to the date of the

questioned writing, and all within a few years thereof.
 INVESTIGATION OF OTHER SPECIMENS OF
HANDWRITING AND HAND PRINTING

DO’S

 Whenever possible, obtain specimens on paper of similar size,

shape, and ruling as that on which the questioned writing appears.

 Conditions permitting, secure writing with phrasing, wording

subject matter, etc.
 INVESTIGATION OF OTHER SPECIMENS OF
HANDWRITING AND HAND PRINTING

DO’S
 When questioned writing has been executed under
unusual writing conditions secure, if possible, some
specimens which were executed under similar
conditions.
 Do not depend on but a few lines of writing.
 Do not rely on only signature standards.
 INVESTIGATION OF OTHER SPECIMENS OF
HANDWRITING AND HAND PRINTING

DONT’S
 Do not submit only pencil standards for comparison
with questioned ink writing or vice versa.

 Do not use present day/ writing exclusively for

comparison with questioned a specimens written a
number of years ago.
 INVESTIGATION OF OTHER SPECIMENS OF
HANDWRITING AND HAND PRINTING

DONT’S

 Do not rely on only signature standards.

 Do not submit only a minimum amount of writing if
additional specimen is available.
 Do not depend entirely on writing which is known to
have been executed under abnormal conditions for
purposes of comparison with questioned
writing executed under normal conditions.
 CLASSIFICATION OF QUESTIONED
DOCUMENTS

Document questioned on the question typewriting.

a) With a view of ascertaining their source.

b) With a view to determining their date.

c) With a view of determining whether or

not they contain fraudulent alterations or
substituted pages.