Forgery and Fraud - Monthly Meeting

Our member James Miller will be talking about forgery and fraud and how to keep alert to these.

Forgery is a huge topic, but James's plan is to cover what sorts of things can be forged (a surprisingly large range!); why do people forge things (not necessarily for money); how are forgeries detected or deterred (only simple science!); and how society treats forgers and fraudsters. All illustrated by some spectacular and/or interesting examples from history and right up to the present day.

The “fraud” bit is really a subtitle, which arises because if (for example) you paint a picture in the style of Vermeer and sell it as a Vermeer to make money illegally, you have technically committed a fraud (via a forged object, of course). So in practice the talk is all about forgery itself
     - What can be forged (almost anything)?
     - Why do people forge things (not only for money by any means)?
     - How are forgeries detected and if possible prevented?
     - What has happened historically to forgers and their forgeries?
     - And to what extent is forgery in action at present?