forgery

Forgery is the act of creating, altering, or presenting false documents, artworks, currency, or other items with the intent to deceive and obtain an unlawful gain. The term covers a range of activities, from signing a fraudulent contract or altering a will to producing counterfeit money or forged seals. In legal contexts forgery typically refers to the fraudulent making or altering of documents that are intended to be taken as authentic.

Common forms include document forgery (falsifying signatures, stamps, or official seals on contracts, diplomas, or passports), currency counterfeiting (producing imitation money), and art forgery (creating or misrepresenting works as authentic masterpieces). With the rise of digital media, forgery also encompasses deepfakes, digitally altered photographs, forged digital signatures, and manipulated metadata.

Legally, forgery is typically treated as a crime involving fraud and the erosion of trust in official documents. Most jurisdictions require intent to defraud, or to cause financial loss, and the forging of a document with potential legal effect. Penalties vary but commonly include fines and imprisonment.

Detection and prevention rely on forensic document examination, material analysis of ink and paper, watermark and security features testing, and provenance verification for artworks. Handwriting analysis and, increasingly, digital verification methods assist in authentication. In financial and legal systems, banks, notaries, and courts deploy standardized verification procedures; digital spaces rely on cryptographic signatures, tamper-evident records, and blockchain-based provenance.

Forgery has wide economic and social costs, including losses from fraud, damaged reputations, and erosion of trust in documents and exchange. Responses emphasize preventive controls, education about scams, stronger legal penalties, and improved authentication technologies.