Apparatus and method for enhancing the security of negotiable documents

A system for enhancing the protection of selected information found on a cheque from forgery, wherein the selected information varies for each instantiation of the cheque presented by the same payor, comprising:

• first and second computational-capable devices, the first device employing one of a private key and a public key, the second device employing the other of the private and public keys;
• the first device encrypting a combination of the selected information and one of the private and public encryption keys with a practicably secure cryptographic scheme to thereby generate a control code;
• a printer for printing the control code on the cheque;
• a scanner for reading the selected information and the control code from the cheque;
• the second device decrypting the control code to thereby generate decrypted information;
• and
• circuitry for comparing the selected information and the decrypted information and generating a signal in response to the equality thereof.

A process for enhancing the security of a cheque, comprising:

• selecting private and public encryption keys associated with one of a cheque payor and cheque validator;
• selecting information found on the cheque wherein the selected information varies for each instantiation of the cheque presented by the same payor;
• encrypting a combination of the selected information and the private key with a digital signature encryption scheme to thereby generate a digital signature;
• printing the selected information and the digital signature on the cheque;
• reading the selected information from the cheque;
• verifying the authenticity of the digital signature based on the public key and the read selected information;
• and
• the cheque validator refusing to honour the cheque if the digital signature is not authenticated.