Colour Portraits―The Best Choice to Prevent ID Document Fraud.

by Leonardo Rojas

The portrait, as the main element that connects the ID document to its legitimate holder, is the most attacked feature. Ensuring its protection against counterfeiting or any alteration attempts is crucial.
In recent years, we have seen an increase in the use of color portraits on identity documents. One of the reasons for this is because flesh tones are better perceived by the human eye than grayscale hues, making them easier to authenticate.

Due to its unique laser engraving technology, IDEMIA’s LASINK™ product family generates high-quality color portraits on polycarbonate ID credentials. Over the last few years, many countries such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Latvia, Morocco, etc. have opted for LASINK™ Origin as the main portrait on their identity documents. Furthermore, it is now possible to embed color portraits in DOVID or transparent windows using this proven-field technology.

Leonardo Rojas

Costa Rican Engineer currently working at IDEMIA LATAM as Client Solutions Manager. With over 16 years of experience in different positions in the Government security industry (project management, pre sales and business development). Involved in many national document issuance projects like México Passport, Guatemala ID, Honduras Passport, Nicaragua ID and Passport, Costa Rica ID, Panamá Passport, Colombia ID, Perú ID, among others.

Fraud Trends Observed Along the Southwest Border in El Paso, Texas

by Hillary Hoover

Crossings at the southwest border are on the rise, and the expiration of Title 42 of the United States Code that deals with public health means that the U.S. government will no longer be able to leverage it as a mechanism to swiftly remove those individuals crossing into the United States illegally. This surge is likely to be felt most acutely in the El Paso, Texas sector of the border, which as of March 31, 2023 leads the nation with over 265,037 migrant encounters, a 134% increase from the same period in 2022, and a number that will almost certainly continue to rise. This presentation will examine the fraud trends seen at the southwest border, specifically the El Paso sector, between the dates of February 26 through April 20, 2023, and in doing so provide a guide to trends that are likely to be observed in the aftermath of the expiration of Title 42.

Hillary Hoover

Hillary Hoover is a Senior Forensic Document Examiner at the Homeland Security Investigations Forensic Laboratory. Her primary duties involve conducting examinations of domestic and international travel and identification documents to determine authenticity and reveal alterations. Examinations include but are not limited to microscopic, instrumental and comparative analysis of handwriting, typewriting, printing processes and stamp impressions. She has testified as an expert witness in the field of Questioned Document Examination on numerous occasions and has given several presentations and trainings on the detection of counterfeit and altered travel documents.

She possesses a Master of Forensic Sciences degree from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin. Hillary has been a diplomate of The American Board of Forensic Document Examiners since 2013 and is a member of the Midwestern Association of Forensic Sciences and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

How Document Security is Falsified and Violated

by Francisco Elias Bartolo Sanchez

The presentation will broadly discuss counterfeiting in a variety of security documents including bank documents, national ID, pasports and banknotes; and how the security of this type of documents is violated through the use of new technologies to simulate this kind ofs security features. The presentation will focus on real case studies and the characteristics of simulations of security features will be analyzed.

La presentación discutirá ampliamente la falsificación en una variedad de documentos de seguridad, incluidos documentos bancarios, documentos de identidad nacional, pasaportes y billetes; y cómo se viola la seguridad de este tipo de documentos mediante el uso de nuevas tecnologías para simular este tipo de características de seguridad. La presentación se centrará en estudios de casos reales y se analizarán las características de las simulaciones de elementos de seguridad.

Francisco Elias Bartolo Sanchez

He is a Criminalistics Technician with a specialty in graphoscopy from the Professional Training Institute of the PGJDF. Degree in administration from the UAM-I. Master in Criminal Sciences with a specialization in Criminalistics from INACIPE. Certified under the EC1081 standard “Preparation of graphoscopic technical expertise” by the National Council for Standardization and Certification of Labor Competences of the SEP. Certified teacher by exam 2015 by the Training Committee of the Coordination Council for the Implementation of the Criminal Justice System, through SETEC.

With a Specialty in Graphoscopy, Documentoscopy and Fingerprints from the CLEU. Auxiliary Expert of the Federation Judiciary, in the specialties of Graphoscopy, Documentoscopy and Fingerprints. Director of the Corporate Investigation Services, Document Protection and Forensic Sciences. Supernumerary member of the Mexican Academy of Criminalistics. General director of the graphoscopy and documentoscopy area of the Federal College of Ferensic Experts. National President of SIPDO Mexico Chapter.

Es Técnico en criminalística con especialidad en grafoscopía por el Instituto de Formación Profesional de la PGJDF. Lic. En administración por la UAM-I. Maestro en Ciencias penales con especialización en Criminalística por el INACIPE. Certificado bajo la norma EC1081 “Elaboración de peritajes técnicos grafoscopicos” por el Consejo Nacional de Normalización y Certificación de Competencias Laborales de la SEP. Docente certificado por examen 2015 por el Comité de Capacitación del Consejo de Coordinación para la Implementación del Sistema de Justicia Penal, a través de la SETEC. Con Especialidad en Grafoscopía Documentoscopía y Dactiloscopia por el CLEU. Diplomado. Perito Auxiliar del Poder Judicial Federación, en las especialidades de Grafoscopía, Documentoscopía y Dactiloscopía. Director del Corporativo de Servicios de Investigación, Protección de Documentos y Ciencias Forenses. Miembro supernumerario de la Academia Mexicana de Criminalística. Director general del área de grafoscopía y documentoscopía del colegio federal de peritos. Presidente nacional de SIPDO Capítulo México.

Methods of Adulteration and Counterfeiting of Public Documents

by Prof José Manuel A. Duarte Ulloa

Document forgery is perhaps one of the most booming crimes in the world, thus creating damage and disruption in society. In addition, it violates a protected legal right and causes an attack on public faith through the legal traffic of the dubious document, which often goes unnoticed by the lawyer and the judge due to the capacity and constant updating of techniques carried out by criminals.

It is there where the forensic analysis of documents plays a relevant role to counteract the illegal forgery and provide assistance to the administration of justice in favor of the rights of those affected. Modern document expertise has acquired that essential apogee to deal with counterfeiting with crime laboratories highly equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and instruments and constantly trained and certified expert experts.

There are multiple ways to modify or falsify a document, some rudimentary and crude, being verified promptly and with certainty by police officers on a daily basis.

However, we find high-quality counterfeits, even achieving element emulation and security inks, creating complexities in their primary analysis. For its part, technology has generated a continuous improvement in the preparation of fraudulent documents, such as: driver’s licenses, license plates, technical inspection certificates, polluting emissions, compulsory insurance, circulation permits, paper money, cotton and polymer, among others.

Making visible the current modalities of documentary fraud and the suspicion on the part of lawbreakers to achieve their circulation, would allow presenting tools so that different government entities and companies in charge of making new technologies in printing systems, elements and security inks, achieve incorporate more security structures, in order to create obstacles for counterfeiters when preparing spurious or altered documents.

La falsedad documental es tal vez uno de los delitos con mayor auge en el mundo, creando así perjuicios y trastornos en la sociedad. Además, vulnera un bien jurídico tutelado y causa un atentado a la fe pública a través del tráfico jurídico del documento dudoso, que muchas veces pasa desapercibido para el abogado y el juez por la capacidad y constante actualización de técnicas que ejecutan los delincuentes.

Es ahí donde el análisis forense de documentos, juega un rol relevante para contrarrestar el ilícito falsario y brindar un auxilio a la administración de justicia en pro de los derechos de los afectados. El peritaje de documentos moderno ha adquirido ese apogeo imprescindible para afrontar las falsificaciones con laboratorios criminalísticos altamente dotados de equipos e instrumentos de tecnología avanzada y expertos peritos certificados y entrenados constantemente.

Múltiples son las modalidades de modificar o falsear un documento, algunas rudimentarias y burdas, siendo verificadas con prontitud y certeza por los agentes policiales día a día.

Sin embargo, nos encontramos con falsificaciones de alta calidad, incluso logrando la emulación de elementos y tintas de seguridad, lo que genera complejidades en su análisis primario. Por su parte, la tecnología ha generado una mejora continua de la elaboración de documentos fraudulentos, tales como: licencias de conducir, placas patentes, certificados de revisión técnica, emisiones contaminantes, seguros obligatorios, permisos de circulación, papel moneda algodón y polímero, entre otros.

Visibilizar las actuales modalidades de fraude documentario y la suspicacia por parte de los infractores de ley para lograr su circulación, permitiría presentar herramientas para que diferentes entidades gubernamentales y empresas encargadas de confeccionar nuevas tecnologías en los sistemas de impresión, elementos y tintas de seguridad, logren incorporar más estructuras de seguridad, con la finalidad de generar obstáculos a los falsificadores al momento de la elaboración de documentos espurios o alterados.

Prof José Manuel A. Duarte Ulloa

Forensic Advisor and Forensic Document Examiner at the Criminalistics Department “LABOCAR” of Carabineros de Chile, he is also a professor in the chair of Forensic Documentology I and II, School of Specialties “General Oscar Cristi Gallo”.

Forensic Expert Technician and Professional Criminal Investigator, currently studying the Master’s Degree in Teaching for Higher Education-UGM, has Diplomas in: Criminal and Forensic Investigation, Private Security, Documentoscopy and Graphoscopy, University Teaching, Social Leadership and updating in Printing Systems.

He has authored and co-authored publications on forensic investigation of questioned documents.

He is a member and president of the Chilean chapter of the International Society of Experts in Documentoscopy-SIPDO and former president and founding partner of the Chilean Association of Criminalists-COLCRIM Chile.

Asesor Criminalístico y Perito Documental del Departamento de Criminalística “LABOCAR” de Carabineros de Chile, además es Profesor en la cátedra de Documentología Forense I y II, Escuela de Especialidades” General Oscar Cristi Gallo”.

Técnico Perito Forense y Profesional Investigador Criminalístico, actualmente cursa el Magíster en Docencia para la Educación Superior-UGM, cuenta con Diplomados en: Investigación Criminal y Criminalística, Seguridad Privada, Documentoscopía y Grafoscopía, Docencia Universitaria, Liderazgo Social y actualización en Sistemas de Impresión.

Autor y coautor en publicaciones sobre investigación forense en documentos cuestionados, firmas y escrituras.

Es miembro y presidente del capítulo de Chile de la Sociedad Internacional de Peritos en Documentoscopía-SIPDO. Colegiado, ex presidente y socio fundador del Colegio de Criminalístas de Chile-COLCRIM Chile.