The Linking of a Counterfeit Document to Individual Sheets of Dry-transfer Lettering through the Transfer of Fluorescent Glue

Abstract

Counterfeit documents had been produced with the aid of dry-transfer (rub-down) lettering. Sheets of dry-transfer lettering found at the home of the suspect had been much used, and consequently the usage of letters, though consistent with the questioned documents, provided only very weak evidence. Under 366 nm ultraviolet light, fluorescent marks were found around the dry-transfer letters on the counterfeit documents. On one document, the marks around some letters corresponded exactly with the rub-down marks on the carrier films of the appropriate dry-transfer sheets. The pressure-sensitive adhesive surrounding the letters on the undersides of the carrier films had been transferred to the document in register with the rub-down strokes. These observations showed that the relevant characters on the counterfeit document had definitely come from sheets of dry-transfer lettering found at the home of the suspect.