What is the legal term for falsely making or altering a document?

The legal term for falsely making or altering a document is forgery. Forgery involves the unauthorized creation or alteration of a document with the intent to deceive another party. This could include signing someone else’s name without permission, altering a financial document to misrepresent its content, or creating fake documents altogether. The key element of forgery is the intent to defraud, which distinguishes it from other forms of financial crime.

Other terms, while related to dishonesty in financial transactions, do not specifically describe the act of falsifying documents. Fraud is a broader term encompassing various deceptive practices for personal gain. Embezzlement refers to the misappropriation of funds placed in one's trust, often by someone in a position of authority. Counterfeiting generally applies to producing imitation currency or goods, especially with the intent to pass them off as legitimate. Thus, while all options relate to financial crime, forgery specifically pinpoints the act of document falsification.