Introduction

any different types of document may be prone to counterfeiting, particularly if the document either has a high value, can be used as a form of identification or can be used to obtain goods or services to which access is restricted.

Genuine documents which have a security value are often produced using materials and methods which make counterfeiting more difficult to achieve successfully. These can include the paper, the printing method and the printing inks used. Generally, the more sophisticated the anti-counterfeiting measures adopted, the more costly the production of the genuine document.

Counterfeiters generally use one or more of a relatively small number of methods to produce counterfeit documents. The skill with which they are produced depends upon the experience of the counterfeiter.

The Technique
In order to determine the authenticity of a suspected counterfeit document, it is usually helpful to examine a genuine specimen document to establish how it is properly produced. The Document Examiner will consider various factors, for example:

• the type of paper used (physical properties, optical properties)
• security features in the paper, such as a watermark
• the printing process used (including use and identification of photocopiers, conventional printing techniques, computer printers)
  
• the presence of other relevant evidence such as perforations
• microscopic analysis will reveal tiny imperfections which can link the documents one to another and possibly to the master document from which they were copied.
  

In some cases, not only will documents be identified as counterfeits, but also the authorities may suspect that they know their source. The examination of artwork and printing material, photocopiers and so on may well allow the expert to provide evidence to establish a link between the printed document and those responsible for producing them.