Picture yourself enjoying your day-off or a vacation, and suddenly you find out that your signature is being used to sign up for a policy, sign off a QA report for the pilot batch of a prototype drug, or even sign a set of forged release papers! The consequences in such cases could be dire beyond imagination. We are looking at the unauthorized release of wrong medication, corporate espionage scenarios, and even potential prison breaks. As bizarre and unlikely as it may sound, signature forgeries are more common than we think. However, there are ways you can reduce the damage to a certain extent and deal with the mess in the best possible manner.
Step #1 – Report the incident
Step #2 – Sign an affidavit
Step #3 – Keep your legal team in the loop
Step #1 – Report the incident
In most cases, the ripple effect of your forged signatures can be felt within a short period. Either way, your first step should be to inform the signing parties and authorities. This gives the signing parties some room for damage control. Depending upon the nature of the contract with your forged signature, there is a specific time limit before which you must report the forgery. For example, a fraudulent bank transaction can be annulled within 60 days. Reporting the incident as soon as possible helps the authorities to quickly narrow down on the culprit while the trail is comparatively fresh.
Step #2 – Sign an affidavit
After reporting the incident, you may have to sign an affidavit confirming that your signature has been forged and stating your intent to annul the effects and implications of the contract. It will also help the recipient to investigate the matter from their side further. The affidavit will relinquish the signing parties of any responsibilities mentioned in the contract, thus saving their time and effort.
Also Read: Electronic Signatures: Simplifying Operations for HR Staffing Firms
Step #3 – Keep your legal team in the loop
The other signing party may likely try to sue you when you cannot fulfill the conditions mentioned in the contract with your forged signature. In that case, your legal team should be ready and prepared with all the facts regarding the incident. Besides your legal team, you may also want to seek help from a handwriting expert who might be able to affirm that your signature is forged.
Digital Signatures – the smartest way to avoid signature forgeries
The only solution to this problem statement is to move your signing process online. Digital signature solutions are built like cyber fortresses. These applications keep unauthorized users at bay while keeping the distribution of sensitive documents and contracts in check with all the detailed logs. With digital signatures, users can benefit from a plethora of safety features such as:
Source link to Learn More About "How to Deal with Signature Forgery?” https://bit.ly/3PFllgs
What are some business challenges that are hard to be disregarded when it comes to matters esignatures.
