Braille - Forgery Finder - find a forgery, writing, handwriting analysis, handwriting, handwriting samples, signature, ESDA machine, braille image, anonymous letter, oblique lighting, document examiner

Webster defines Braille as a) "system of printing and writing for the blind, in which letters, numerals and punctuation are made with raised dots distinguishable by the fingers" or b) " the characters used in this system". To the document examiner however, Braille refers to the indentation left in a writing surface as the result of a pen or pencil traveling over it. And while not technically an alteration, it is a problem dealing with something not visible to the naked eye. Braille can be succesfully detected and photographed using simple oblique (side) lighting.

Much more sensitive, however, is the ESDA (electrostatic detection aparatis) machine. The ESDA machine is like a melding of a copy machine and an Etch-A-Sketch and, while it does a better job, it's applications are too few and it's price too high to justify the purchase by most sole practitioners.

Braille image photographed with oblique writing. larger img


An anonymous letter as it appeared to the naked eye.	The ESDA image of the same letter. larger image

Above are two photographs of the same anonymous letter. The photograph on the left is the letter as it appeared to the naked eye. The photograph on the right is the ESDA image. Look carefully at the ESDA image... the white writing is the visible ink text. The black writing is the once-invisible Braille image.

In my career, Braille writing and it's identification has been used succesfully in two instances. In the first, it was simple case of someone folding over the sheets of carbon paper at the bottom of a contract to prevent their signature from appearing on the second and third copies. The signature did not appear in ink, but it did in Braille. The second was a bit more devious. My client was receiving numerous rambling anonymous letters.

From their content, it was clear that the writer was someone well acquainted with the recipient but an examination of handwriting samples of every possible candidate did not identify the individual. In desperation, an ESDA machine was located and the first pages of over 90 anonymous letters were tested. On just one page, underneath the visible text, was the first draft of the letter written by the recipient's wife. She had been writing the letters herself and giving them to a friend to copy.

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