what is questioned document investigation 
a questioned document investigation is an in depth look into a document that is being questioned in the case of fraud forgery etc the investigation is usually initiated in the event that large sums of money heirlooms or other assets are being called into question by a third party a questioned document investigation may also be called upon to discover altered documents fabricated checks anonymous letters disputed wills and many other disputed documents a forensic analysis of the questioned document will typically involve a comprehensive analysis of the paper ink indentations and tools used to produce the document understanding questioned document investigationa questioned document investigation is used to ascertain the authenticity or lack thereof of a document or other item when it comes into question the discipline of forensic document examination is sometimes referred to as questioned documents analysis and it is frequently associated with white collar crimes such as accounting irregularities check fraud or securities fraud it can also be used to analyze documents related to other types of crimes or misdeeds such as medical malpractice or even analyzing suicide notes for authenticity examiners of questioned documents use an array of heuristic and technological tools and techniques to judge the authenticity of documents or to reveal if something has been altered or tampered with to determine whether a document is genuine an examiner may attempt to confirm who authored or created the document determine the timeframe in which it was created identify the materials used in its preparation or uncover modifications to the original text such as changes additions or deletions to the original text within the scope of finance questioned document investigations are initiated when the authenticity of a firm s financial records are cast in doubt sometimes a firm may cook the books to hide losses or inflate perceived profits such accounting scandals can be revealed by the forensic analysis of financial statements and accounting documents while securities today are represented digitally for the most part in the past the authenticity of physical stock certificates or bound coupons would be questioned as con men and crooks would seek to counterfeit and sell them to unsuspecting investors in the contemporary context internal memos email exchanges invoices or contracts can come under scrutiny and become the subject of a questioned document investigation if the investigation proves no wrong doing the case may be dropped and the allegations of fraud or misconduct dropped on the other hand if the document is considered suspect it may become crucial evidence in a larger criminal or civil case 