Forgery

[|Forgery] is the act of criminally making or altering a written instrument for the purpose of fraud or deceit; for example, signing another person's name to a check. Forgery may also often be called counterfeiting.

Handwriting forgery is the process used by criminals to fraudulently make, alter, or write a person's signature—so that in most circumstances it appears identical with the genuine signature—with the intent of profiting from the innocent party. Authentic signatures are included on such papers as checks, employment records, legal agreements, licenses, titles, wills, and any other type of personal or business transaction or agreement. Even slight handwriting alternations are considered as much a crime as the complete fabrication of a signature when the intent it to deceive. However, the consequences of being convicted of handwriting forgery are usually much less than many other major crimes in the United States, with the specific punishment generally being in the form of a [|misdemeanor] and set by various state and federal statutes. As a result of these minor consequences and because most people are uninformed of the various tactics used by such skilled criminals, the illegal activity of handwriting forgery is growing at a higher rate than most other crimes.

Counterfeiting money is a federal felony. Unlike other federal crimes, the Secret Service is in charge of investigating counterfeiting cases. If you are caught for counterfeiting money, consequences are very severe and can include: imprisonment (up to 15 years), heavy fines, confiscation of any property used to counterfeit (will not be returned), on your record for life, and paying restitution.