If you suspect a document has been forged, the instinct is often to call the police. That is understandable, but it is rarely the right first step.

Police need sufficient evidence before they can take a case to a district attorney. The district attorney needs sufficient evidence to take to a grand jury. If you walk in with your suspicion and nothing else, the case goes nowhere.

Here is what to do instead.

First, find a qualified, experienced, court-qualified forensic document examiner. Not someone who claims to do it on the side. Someone with courtroom experience, a verifiable track record, and a reputation worth defending.

Second, have the document examined. The examination will tell you whether your suspicion is correct, and if so, it will give you something concrete: a letter of opinion from an expert who can back it up in court.

Third, take that letter to an attorney. Now you have something a judge can work with.

I have stopped fraud at the hearing level with a single letter of opinion. In one case involving a stepmother who had forged roughly 50 documents to take over a $6 million estate, my opinion letter was enough to halt the proceedings before trial. The court needed to hear from someone who had examined the evidence. That is the expert’s job.

Start with the examination. Everything else follows from there.

Curt Baggett
 The Nation’s #1 Forensic Document Examiner
Over 2,000 cases handled across all 50 states
972-644-0285
972-814-2695
https://expertdocumentexaminer.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I call the police first if I suspect forgery?

Usually not. Police need sufficient evidence before they can take a case to a district attorney, and the district attorney needs evidence for a grand jury. A suspicion alone goes nowhere.

What is the first step when you suspect a forged document?

Find a qualified, experienced, court-qualified forensic document examiner — someone with courtroom experience, a verifiable track record, and a reputation worth defending.

What does a document examination give you?

Something concrete: a letter of opinion from an expert who can back it up in court. Take that letter to an attorney, and a judge has something to work with.

Can a letter of opinion really stop a fraud?

Yes. In one case, a stepmother forged roughly 50 documents to take over a $6 million estate, and a single expert opinion letter was enough to halt the proceedings before trial.