Lay the groundwork now to win in court later. The Legal Traps A. Authentication. A litigant relying on a message must prove that it is what that party claims it to be. Rule of Evidence 901. The proponent must thus provide evidence that a message was truly sent by the purported sender and has not been altered.
Authentication is especially critical for electronic messages.
Changes are not apparent on the face of an electronic document, and may be time-consuming or impossible to detect. Inability to authenticate is not just a legal difficulty, but a business problem. Impostors order funds transfer from Bank A to impostors' accounts at Bank B. Bank A does not verify the source of the order. The impostors make off with the money. Bank fails to verify who sent the telex, and the thieves make off with the money.