Validating, a Necessary Action That Protects Against Fraud

Counterfeiters at work

A professional seal is a guarantee of public protection. In North America, however, forgery is not uncommon. Engineers and architects have seen their seals and/or plans stolen from them, only to be subsequently accepted by authorities. These identity thefts could have had serious consequences.

Overwhelming evidence of forgery in Canada:

- OSPE - OSPE Member Uncovers Widespread Forgery
- CBC - Forged inspection documents shine light on Ontario’s troubled building department
- CBC - Engineers push ‘digital seal’ to stop bogus blueprints
- CBC - Winnipeg investigates misused engineer’s seal
- Canadian Consulting Engineer - Ontario contractor fined $5,000 for unauthorized use of professional engineer’s seal

The CertifiO digital signature: innovative and transparent

Issued directly to a member by a professional association or one of its partners, the CertifiO digital signature is used by more than 50,000 professionals in Canada. It is a secure and proven technological solution to combat fraud and the forgery of seals and signatures.

When affixed to an electronic document, it gives the document unparalleled integrity. A digital signature allows you to validate the signer’s identity and professional affiliation, as well as the time of signature, all free of charge.

The CertifiO digital signature improves performance for engineers and municipalities.

- How to Increase Engineering Performance in Canada? - Bill Moore, Associated Engineering
- How can design and digital transformation help us confront climate change? - Jeff DiBattista, Dialog
- How the City of Laval’s Legal Affairs Department Digitized its Practices - Marc-André Russell, City of Laval Legal Affairs Department

Validation: Ensuring public protection

Validating signed documents and signatures is not only easy and free, but it is the only way to ensure the integrity of documents and to confirm that a professional has the right to practise. By adopting good practices, we speed up our processes thanks to digital technology and avoid putting our infrastructure and citizens’ security at risk.

Find out how to validate a digital signature for free: See our articles and videos: I want to validate one or more CertifiO digital signatures.