NCJ Number
84099
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 30 Issue: 7 Dated: (July 1982) Pages: 22-27
Date Published
1982
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The proliferation of forgery, how forgers operate, preventive steps that can be taken by business, and steps in the police investigation of forgery are discussed.
Abstract
Forgery has increased, largely because of the low risk of being caught in the act, the instruments needed to commit forgery are easy to obtain, and the sentences given forgers are typically light. Driver's licenses, checks, credit cards, and other types of identification may be taken from victims of other crimes and used in forgery offenses. Checks, credit cards, and identifications may also be counterfeited. In check forgery, offenders will travel from business to business in a day cashing as many as 20 checks. Passing forged payroll checks is very successful, since these checks are easily stolen. The 'split-deposit' scheme is used regularly with success. This scheme involves building a large balance in an innocent customer's account without the customer's knowledge or in an account which the forger has opened. The checks used to build the balance are fraudulent. After the account is raised to a certain amount, more fraudulent checks are deposited, with the forger requesting some cash return on each deposit. Forgery schemes can be deterred or prevented by training cashiers to perform certain ID checks, using a surveillance camera, and subscription to a service that provides information about bad checks, forgeries, and fraudulent identification. A systematized investigative approach should include (1) cross-referencing of files, (2) distribution of caseloads by modus operandi or suspect, (3) preservation of evidence for latent fingerprint development, (4) maintenance of a handwriting file, (5) handwriting samples from suspects, (6) securing of eyewitnesses, and (7) the publication of bulletins that describe a forger's recent activities.