Our office gets calls all the time about contract fraud. Can a signature expert prove a signature was forged on a contract? Well, absolutely. That’s what a forensic document examiner does. Here’s a closer look at how that process actually works. 

What a Forensic Document Examiner Actually Does

You may think the person who examines the authenticity of signatures is called a handwriting expert. Actually, it’s a “forensic handwriting expert,” but the technical term is “forensic document examiner.” The specialty is handwritten items. We’re going to look at that signature and compare it to 40 other samples of that person’s signature from the last five or six years, preferably from around the same time period.

What We Look For

If I were doing the case, I would do a side-by-side analysis. I would get a microscope. I would zoom in. From there, I would examine the little ink striations in the ink blobs. I would be looking to see whether this appears to be the same hand, with the same physiology and neurology, that signed the others.

There are many telltale signs of forgery. I’m not going to list them here because I don’t want the forgers to know what exactly we’re looking for. In general, though, we’re looking for signs of forgery or signs of genuineness. Identifying those signs takes real expertise. It’s a whole lot more difficult than looking at it and going, “Oh, it looks a little different.” Every little micro-movement of the pen has to be analyzed. Forensic document examiners typically charge $600 or $700 an hour.

This is a rare skill. Only a few hundred people in the world have the skill to accurately determine a human being’s identity from their handwriting. They are certified or court-qualified forensic document examiners. If you need one of those people, I still take cases, particularly high-stakes cases, and I also refer a lot of cases to my associates. So, just give us a call, and we’ll help you determine if the handwriting expert is really what you need in your case.

And if it is, I think we probably have one in your budget.

Bart Baggett
The Nation’s Leading Forensic Handwriting Expert
CEO of Handwriting Experts Inc.
Forensic Document Examiner • Expert Witness • Legal Consultant
“We solve million-dollar forgery cases.”

Telephone: 1-800-980-9030

YouTube: @thehandwritingexpert
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FAQ
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Q1: What is a forensic document examiner?
A: A forensic document examiner is a court-qualified specialist who analyzes handwritten items, including signatures, to determine their authenticity. While often called a handwriting expert, the correct technical term is forensic document examiner.

Q2: How does a forensic document examiner detect a forged signature?
A: A forensic document examiner performs a side-by-side analysis using a microscope, examining ink striations and micro-movements of the pen. The questioned signature is compared against known authentic samples to determine whether the same hand produced it.

Q3: How many signature samples are needed to analyze a questioned signature?
A: A forensic document examiner typically compares a questioned signature against approximately 40 known samples from the person, preferably collected over the past five to six years and from around the same time period as the disputed document.

Q4: How much does a forensic document examiner charge?
A: Forensic document examiners typically charge between $600 and $700 per hour. Only a few hundred people in the world are certified or court-qualified to perform this analysis accurately.