The document lifecycle : identifying opportunities for fraudulent behaviour

Abstract

Humanity has come a long way from incising statements or symbols in stone to remember an event. However, evolution also brings complications and opportunities for those who would like to re write history to suit their own interests. In this paper, the evolution of the document from the Roman era to the digital format as we know it, is explored. The writer takes a look at the various stages it has to go through for its lifecycle to be completed and tries to identify different circumstances where a fraudster could manipulate the document and how it could be prevented. The profession of those dealing with documents is viewed with respect in the legal and accounting circles yet it is widely viewed as a surplus to requirement when it comes to custody and preservation when the fact is that these functions are fundamental to all professions in life as we know it and it is ever more important to start viewing digital documents as a new type of valid evidence. Possibilities to help the profession be more accredited are explored in order to improve the situation where a practitioner would be called upon to attest to a document’s authenticity in a court of law. The writer will then look to digital forensics to see how this relatively new form of science may help the course of justice and offer solutions to present challenges the digital forensics field is currently facing.