DIGITAL SIGNATURE PROBLEMS

by Joelle Steele

While they don’t teach cursive handwriting in schools these days, people still usually know how to sign their names. But is it possible that we will eventually not sign our names at all? No one can predict the answer to that question. But as possible forgeries still cross my desk, I can tell you that there are some things that need to be signed with a pen.

Signatures written on a piece of paper such as a Will or a bank check, an old-style three-part NCR form, or a digital signature pad are all different when it comes to analyzing them for possible forgery.

Originals of Wills and bank checks rarely present a problem. They are easy to analyze for possible forgeries. They are very clear, and when enlarged, you can see the tiniest details, the ones that are most likely to show any indications of forgery. Checks are only problematic when only scans or photocopies are available for analysis.

Signatures on NCR forms tend to be pale and ghostly in appearance. No amount of enlargement will make them any clearer or reveal any of those significant tiny details. Fortunately, these days I am rarely asked to analyze them.

And digital signatures? Seriously? Have you ever signed with a digital pen when agreeing to something or paying with a credit card? My own signature is barely readable when I sign with a stylus on plastic/glass. And that digital signature is then imported into a document and printed out, making it even more fuzzy in the printing process. Completely undecipherable in most cases.

People are still signing their names, but they’re signing them in ways that make forgery easier than ever. Is there anything you can do about it? You can try asking to sign a document with a real pen, rather than signing digitally. This will assure that the signature looks like yours. Meanwhile, be careful where you leave your handwritten signatures so that they will be protected from the prying eyes of possible forgers.