what is forgery

Forgery is a crime that involves dishonesty or false statements. It generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud. Examples of documents that may be forged include checks, negotiable instruments, contracts, wills, and deeds. The forger may begin with an entirely blank piece of paper, with an incomplete genuine instrument with blanks to be filled, or with a complete genuine instrument that may be altered. The usual manner of forging is to prepare a false writing and sign another’s name to it or to make a material alteration to a valid writing already signed by another. However, a writing that contains false statements is not necessarily the “false-writing” that forgery requires. In order for an act to be considered forgery, there must be fraudulent intent. If such intent is present, there is forgery even if no monetary loss occurs.