forger

A forger–also called counterfeiter–is a person who makes a forgery. This might mean that a person created an unauthorized duplication of an object, in such a way that the duplicate was identical or nearly identical to the original. The forger must generally have intended to present the duplicated object as if it were the original. As such, a person who replicates a lost, famous painting for the purpose of selling it to a collector is a forger. 

A forger might also alter an object from its original form and present it as if the alteration was genuine. For example, if a person signs a document on behalf of another person without their permission, the signature is a forgery.

[Last updated in August of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]