Understanding Forgery

Forgery is a white collar crime that describes many actions involving the reproduction or creation of a document, object, or statistic with the purpose of deceiving another individual. When an individual succeeds in forgery and passes his or her deceitful item as real, he or she has committed fraud.

Many actions may be considered forgery. Typically, these actions include:

Reproduction of documents

Counterfeiting money or checks

Intentionally deceitful advertising

The reproduction of documents is a tricky subject. In some instances, documents are photocopied or altered. Usually, this does not count as forgery. When an individual alters these documents with false information and tries to pass off the information as true, he or she may be committing fraud.

Another way an individual may commit forgery on a document is when he or she reproduces a signature or stamp of approval. An individual who does not have authority to green light a certain action may be able to bypass that by forging a signature, which is illegal.

Individuals who try to counterfeit money or checks usually do so with the intention of creating realistic money that they will then spend, deceiving whoever accepts the money. In most cases, this is considered a federal crime and may carry a more significant punishment than other forms of forgery.

Finally, intentionally deceitful advertising occurs when an individual or group makes a product and packages it in a way that suggests it is made by someone else. For instance, an individual may attach a designer label on an article of clothing when it is, in reality, made by someone else and is not associated in any way with that brand or company.

Forgery is a difficult subject, so individuals who have been charged with this crime should discuss their legal rights and options with Austin forgery defense attorney Ian Inglis.