The creditor says your signature is on the guarantee.
Request the complete signing evidence and preserve your own records. A disputed signature requires a factual investigation and timely legal response.
Corporate Recovery Partners
01 / 06
A signature page is being treated as the whole answer
A supplier sends a former director a guarantee demand with a scanned signature page. The director says the signature is not theirs, or may have been copied from another document. The supplier insists its file is conclusive. The director needs to preserve evidence and obtain advice rather than either paying immediately or dismissing the claim without a response.
Ask for every page, attachments, amendments and the source of the copy. If signed electronically, request the relevant audit trail and records identifying the signing process.
Identify the account, date and capacity stated on the document. A detached signature page may not show what terms were presented or how it became associated with the guarantee.
Keep relevant emails, messages, devices and records of where you were and who had access. Write a dated factual account of what you recognise and what you dispute.
Do not alter a file, recreate a signature comparison or contact a suspected person in a way that risks losing evidence. Let your lawyer advise on the appropriate investigation and any report.
Legal Aid NSW identifies denied signatures on loan or mortgage documents as a reason to obtain legal advice. A business guarantee needs its own assessment of execution, authority and applicable law.
Tell the creditor clearly what is disputed through the advised channel. Keep any notice or court dates active; requesting evidence should not be assumed to suspend the process.
Have any proposed settlement, acknowledgment or replacement document reviewed before signing. Do not describe the document as forged unless that assertion is supported and appropriately advised.
Retain the creditor’s response and investigation outcome. If the signature is genuine but the terms or circumstances remain disputed, those are separate questions that should be assessed on their own evidence.
