Fake seals: how to distinguish a fake from an original
Every official document is certified with a seal — but how can you be sure that you are not looking at a clever forgery? Modern fraudsters have mastered dozens of ways to falsify seals. Find out what details to pay attention to in order not to become a victim of fraud.
A seal is a printing form containing a relief or intaglio image of text or a drawing with the full name of a legal entity or individual, used to make impressions on paper, sealing wax, plasticine or other materials. The seal impression is not subject to corrections or additions. When checking documents, the seal impressions on the paper of their forms are studied.
A stamp is a special type of printing form used to make an imprint on sheets of a document form, containing information about a particular detail (for example, place of residence) and then filled in manually.
Seals and stamps can be metal or made of elastic but resilient material (rubber). They are made in specialized workshops in compliance with certain requirements. Text lines are typed in a font of the same size and design, with the same intervals and symmetrical arrangement in relation to separators (for example, asterisks), text or design. In relation to the center, all letters of the text are arranged strictly radially.
Methods of counterfeiting:
- Drawing an image of the imprint directly on the document:
– The imprint is copied from the original directly onto the form, reproduced from memory or an arbitrary image is drawn.
– The original imprint is “duplicated” through carbon paper or redrawn against the light, the resulting image is outlined with dye, the copying strokes are removed by erasing.
- Applying imprints using “flat clichés” (a mirror image of the imprint, usually made using drawing on cardboard, photographic paper, etc. and intended for transfer to a document using wet copying):
– Transferring the imprint of a genuine seal directly to a moistened area of the document being forged — in this case, the imprint will have a mirror image of the characters.
– The most commonly used method is to obtain an intermediate form, when a mirror image of the imprint of a genuine seal on photographic paper or fingerprint film is used to subsequently obtain an imprint on the document being forged.
- Obtaining prints using homemade relief cliches:
– A relief cliche is cut out on some elastic material or engraved on metal. It can be made from typographic type and non-printing material.
– Relief seals and stamps can be made by engraving them on a metal blank, which acts as a matrix, then by vulcanizing raw rubber from the matrix, a cliche is obtained.
- Obtaining impressions using part of the original seal:
– Part of the original seal is covered with paper, and the missing part is drawn or made using a flat or relief cliché of another seal.
- Obtaining an imprint through carbon paper by placing the forged document under the document on which the genuine imprint is applied is a rare method of forging seals.
Signs of counterfeit seals and stamps
The following signs are typical for hand-drawn seals (stamps):
• non-standard structure of letters and numbers — handwritten or imitating printed font form of individual letters and their elements
• repeated strokes
• separate execution of elements of signs that have a monolithic structure
• unequal drawing of the same signs
• irregular shape of ovals, semi-ovals
• curvature of straight strokes
• unequal height of the main elements of letters
• unequal and uneven width of the main elements of letters
• violation of the requirement for symmetry of the placement of the image
Incorrect arrangement of letters and numbers in the text:
• vertical axes are not at the same angle
• uneven intervals between letters
• sometimes mirror images of characters
• grammatical errors in the text
When using preliminary preparation to obtain a copy of the seal (stamp) and subsequent tracing, the following signs may be noticeable:
• double strokes, grooves from a pen or ruling pen
• different configurations of the same letters and numbers
• absence of small elements in the image of the coat of arms and letters
• traces of stops of the writing instrument in the form of dots and thickenings of strokes
• blunt beginnings and ends of strokes
• increased concentration of dye
• at the beginning and end of the movement of the writing instrument
• puncture from the legs of the compass in the center of the impression
Signs of drawn seals (stamps) are typical for both prints drawn directly on the document and for homemade clichés made on elastic material or engraved on metal.
When using “flat clichés” the following signs may be observed:
• weakly colored image of the print
• unclear boundaries of strokes of letters, drawings
• uneven distribution of dye in strokes – areas with higher and lower concentration of dye (in the latter case, insufficient contact of areas or insufficient moisture)
• ruffled paper fibers and lack of gloss in the place of the print
• mirror image of characters (sometimes adjacent areas of the original document can be transferred along with the image of the seal (stamp))
When making a homemade cliche from elastic material, the following signs may be observed:
• uneven distance between words and letters
• deviation of the axes of the letters from the radii of the typo
• uneven width of the strokes in the letters
• mismatch of the images of the same letters
• irregular lines of the ovals of the letters
• bevels of the corners at the junctions of the strokes of the letters
• pointed ends of the strokes of the letters
When directly used to obtain an impression of a metal cliche, on which the image of the seal (stamp) is engraved, in addition to the above-mentioned features, an uneven distribution of the dye in the impression is noted compared to a cliche on an elastic material (poor wettability of the metal cliche).
Sometimes the document is stamped with impressions of seals (stamps) of other organizations, institutions, or the stamp of one institution, the seal of another. In these cases, the impressions can be applied unclearly, with deliberate smearing of the text (rotation of the cliche), with a large (“bold”) or insufficient (“pale”) amount of dye, in order to make it difficult to read the contents of the seal (stamp).
In some cases, the imprint is made by assembling parts of several seals (stamps) or using other images. For example, the text of one seal is used, and the image of the coat of arms is affixed using a coin. The signs of this method are different types of characters in the words of the text, the intersection of the coat of arms with the frames of the seal when they are applied separately.
When using copying (copying) machines, with the help of which document forms are copied together with seals and stamps placed on them, the following signs may be observed:
• the presence of dots “smudges” on the entire surface of the paper
• the presence of foreign images in the form of a breakdown of the photoreceptor — dots, spots, stripes
Imprints of seals and stamps can be made by copying originals – scanning them during subsequent printing on a laser printer. In such cases, the following signs are noted:
• the edges of the strokes are saw-toothed
• the width of the strokes is not the same
• rounding of the corners is observed when the strokes intersect
• the text and impressions of seals (stamps) do not differ in color and saturation of the dye
It is important to note that modern computer technologies make it possible to produce a high-quality printing form from a seal or stamp imprint. For this reason, if you have doubts about the authenticity of a document, you should contact professionals for verification.
Fake seals are not a myth, but a real threat. But now you know how to recognize them. Check documents carefully, do not hesitate to ask questions and demand confirmation of authenticity. It is better to double-check than to deal with the consequences later.