Characteristics Appearing in Forged Signatures—­Conclusions Reached by Careful Examinations—­Signatures Written with Little Effort to Imitate—­What a Clever Forger Can Do—­Most Common Forgeries of Signatures—­Reproducing a Signature over a Plate of Glass—­A Window Frame Scheme for Reproducing Signatures—­How the Paper is Held and the Ink Applied—­How a Genuine Signature is Placed and Used—­A Forger’s Process of Tracing a Signature—­How to Detect Earmarks of Fraud in a Reproduced Signature—­Prominent Features of Signatures Reproduced—­Method Resorted to by Novices in Forging Signatures—­Conditions Appearing in All Traced Signatures—­Reproduction of Signatures Adopted by Expert Forgers—­Making a Lead-Pencil Copy of a Signature—­Erasing Pencil Signatures Always Discoverable by the Aid of a Microscope—­Appearances and Conditions in Traced Signatures—­How to Tell a Traced Signature—­All the Details Employed to Reproduce a Signature Given—­Features in Which Forgers are Careless—­Handling of the Pen Often Leads to Detection—­A Noted Characteristic of Reproduced Signatures—­Want of Proportion in Writing Names Should Be Studied—­Rules to Be Followed in Examining Signatures—­System Employed by Experts in Studying Proof of Reproduced Signatures—­Bankers and Business Men Should Avoid Careless Signatures

CHAPTER IV

ERASURES, ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS

What Erasure Means—­The English Law—­What a Fraudulent Alteration Means—­Altered or Erased Parts Considered—­Memoranda of Alterations Should Always Accompany Paper Changed—­How Added Words Should be Treated—­How to Erase Words and Lines Without Creating Suspicion—­Writing Over an Erasure—­How to Determine Whether or Not Erasures or Alterations Have Been Made—­Additions and Interlineations—­What to Apply to the Suspected Document—­The Alcohol Test Absolute—­How to Tell which of Crossing Ink Lines Were Made First—­Ink and Pencil Alterations and Erasures—­Treating Paper to Determine Erasures, Alterations and Additions—­Appearance of Paper Treated as Directed—­Paper That Does Not Reveal Tampering—­How Removal of Characters From a Paper is Affected—­Easy Means of Detecting Erasures—­Washing with Chemical Reagents—­Restoration of Original Marks—­What Erasure on Paper Exhibits—­Erasure in Parchments—­Identifying Typewritten Matter—­Immaterial Alterations—­Altering Words in an Instrument—­Alterations and Additions Are Immaterial When Interests of Parties Are Not Changed or Affected—­Erasure of Words in an Instrument

CHAPTER V

HOW TO WRITE A CHECK TO PREVENT FORGING

How a Paying Teller Determines the Amount of a Check—­Written Amount and Amount in Figures Conflict—­Depositor Protected by Paying Teller—­Chief Concern of Drawer of a Check—­Transposing Figures—­Writing a Check That Cannot Be Raised—­Writers who Are Easy Marks for Forgers—­Safeguards for Those who Write Checks—­An Example of Raised Checks—­Payable “To Bearer” Is Always a Menace—­Paying Teller and An Endorsement System Must Be Observed in Writing Checks—­How a Check Must Be Written to Be Absolutely Safe—­A Signature that Cannot Be Tampered with Without Detection—­Paying Tellers Always Vigilant