What’s the difference between a simulated signature and a traced signature? If you’re researching forgery and signatures and document examining, you’ll see the word “tracing,” or you’ll see the word “simulated.”

First, let’s looking at proving a fake signature is “simulated“, which means someone’s looking at a model and tracing it.

Imagine a con artist sneaking into the Louvre at night to look at the Mona Lisa very closely and to sketch and paint their own forgery.

They’re simulating the Mona Lisa- they are freehand drawing a copy by looking at the different lines and paint strokes and trying to make their picture look as much like the Mona Lisa as possible.

A simulated signature is created the same way; a forger looks at a signature and tries to emulate it as closely as possible.

Tracing a signature is like if the con artist steals the Mona Lisa, sticks it a piece of paper over it, and then traces it.

With traced signatures, forgers take a signature, put a piece of paper over it, and often put a backlight on the sheet with the original signature so they can see the outline clearly. Then they slowly trace the signature on the top paper.

Luckily, forensic document examiners are smart enough that they can distinguish between traced, simulated, and natural fluid handwriting, especially if they have access to a microscope and the original signature. 

That’s why you pay $600 an hour for a forensic document examiner so they can actually do that investigation to determine what’s a traced signature, what’s a simulated signature, or what is a natural and flowing signature. 

There are other definitions of other ways that they could create false documents, but those two are the most common.

What will experts write in reports to prove that a fake signature is simulated or traced?

When you’re reading a forensic report, the expert will probably write, “My theory is this is not the original person. This has been eliminated. This is not the right human being. This is a different person.”

They don’t usually use the word “forgery” because that’s a criminal term; when someone is convicted of a forgery, that is a crime.

They’ll use the word “simulated.”
“I believe this signature was simulated by a third person and not written by the actual person.”

Or, “I believe it was traced, and here is the evidence of tracing.”

Can I determine if a signature is simulated or traced myself, or do I need an expert?

I’m not going to tell you all the evidence because I think you still need to hire an expert to do that. Trying to be your own handwriting expert is like going to WebMD instead of going to a doctor.

But it’s very hard to trace a signature without leaving evidence, without hesitating and stopping and leaving ink spots. And it’s very hard to simulate a signature without making errors in the letter forms, the structure, and the speed.

So, that’s why you hire a forensic document examiner. A handwriting expert can determine that.

Their job is going to court and, if needed, testifying in front of the jury, showing the pictures like CSI Miami, and explaining what a simulated signature, a forged signature, a traced signature, and a natural signature should look like.

They are experienced and practiced at making the judge and the jury feel comfortable that an independent expert came to the opinion, and making their work and opinion clear so everyone knows which person is lying.

I’m happy to have taught you the difference between simulated or traced signatures, but my professional opinion is that you leave the analysis and expert testimony to the handwriting experts.

My name is Bart Baggett. If you need our help, just reach out. You can find me easily online or any of our experts. We have experts in many cities across the US. We handle cases internationally involved in handwriting and documents. And if I can’t help you, one of our experts will be able to solve your problem in your budget. Just go to handwritingexperts.com and look for one of our experts we recommend. 

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
LinkedIn: bartbaggett
Facebook: bartbaggett