Forgery

A forgery can be either an entire document that is created or a real one that has been altered. A person who commits forgery with the intent to use the document as if it were genuine for her own illegal gain can be charged with a crime. Forgeries can utilize handwriting, printing, engraving, typing or any other means that creates or alters a document. The alteration may be any part of the document. For example, forgery occurs when the amount of a check is altered but the signature remains unchanged. Additionally, a person who knowingly uses the forged writing, although she did not actually alter it herself, has committed forgery.