Forgery
Forgery is the false making of an instrument to defraud.
Forgery is a white-collar crime involving the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud. It is distinguished from counterfeiting, which typically refers to forging money or currency, and from hoaxes, where the primary concern is the reaction provoked rather than the object itself. Forgery is one of the techniques of fraud, including identity theft, and is addressed by security engineering.
- field
- Criminal law, art, fraud
- known_for
- False making or alteration of documents or objects with intent to defraud
- related_crimes
- Fraud, counterfeiting, identity theft
Lore & Background
Forgery has a parallel history to metalwork at a blacksmith's forge, with the Anglo-French verb 'forger' already meaning 'falsify'. In the 16th century, imitators of Albrecht Dürer's printmaking signed their prints 'AD', making them forgeries. In the 20th century, the art market made forgeries highly profitable, with widespread forgeries of artists such as Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, and Henri Matisse. A special case of double forgery involved the forging of Vermeer's paintings by Han van Meegeren, and later the forging of Van Meegeren's work by his son Jacques van Meegeren.
Reader's Guide
Forgery is a crime in all U.S. jurisdictions, with punishments varying widely. In Connecticut, third-degree forgery is a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail, while first-degree forgery is a class C felony with up to ten years in prison. In Canada, it is a hybrid offence with a maximum of ten years on indictment. Forgery is distinct from hoaxes, where the object's value or proof is secondary to the reaction it provokes.
Did You Know?
- Forgery is one of the techniques of fraud, including identity theft.
- Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not forgeries unless knowingly misrepresented.
- In the 16th century, imitators of Albrecht Dürer signed their prints 'AD', making them forgeries.
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