Electronic Signatures Consultation (at high speed)

[Peter Fairbrother]

> David Hansen wrote:

> I know someone who has two signatures. He uses one for important
> documents and one for minor details, like cheques or letters. Anyone
> who copies his general signature to forge a document will be caught
> out.

I have for several years used a completely different signature when signing
credit card slips from the signature on the back of my credit cards and on
the credit agreements. So far no-one has challenged this...

Many years ago someone forged my signature on a stolen check, and it was a
real hassle to get the bank to refund the money - fortunately I was able to
prove I couldn't have been there to cash the check. They wouldn't accept
that it was a (bad) forgery even though they had a handwriting expert look
at it, or so they said.

More recently someone printed my name in capitals letters on a credit
agreement in the signature space. I had to argue that one too, several tens
of letters.

Not much point to these stories. Not much point to written (or digital)
signatures either. They don't prove anything much, and are seldom even
checked. It's all about liability, and no-one is going to accept that unless
they have to.

Years ago when I bought a stereo with a cheque they took my photo, but they
stopped doing that, perhaps because in cases of fraud it would usually have
only proved that the person whose name they had didn't make the purchase.

-- Peter Fairbrother