How to check if a payslip or bank statement PDF was edited
HR teams, landlords and lenders often receive payslips and statements as PDFs. Edited documents are a real problem, and a PDF often keeps traces of what happened to it.
What a PDF remembers
A PDF file records more than what you see on the page. It often keeps:
- Which program made it (for example a bank's or payroll system's software) and which program saved it last
- When it was created and when it was changed
- Whether it was saved again after it was first made, sometimes with the earlier version still inside
- The fonts used for each piece of text
When someone changes a salary from 49,900 to 89,900, they usually open the PDF in an editor and save it again. That leaves traces.
Steps
- Open Was this PDF edited? and drop the PDF.
- Read the result. PatraPDF runs several checks and lists anything that looks unusual.
- Click a warning to see where on the page it is, for example a number in a different font or text printed on top of other text.
Warning signs
- Saved again after it was made, by a PDF editor or online editing site
- A creation date that does not match the date on the document
- A number in a slightly different font or position from the numbers around it
- Text printed on top of other text, for example a new figure covering the old one
- White boxes covering parts of the page
Important: a warning is not proof
Genuine documents are sometimes saved again for innocent reasons: printed to PDF, merged with other pages, or compressed to fit a portal. Treat a warning as a reason to confirm with the issuer, for example by asking the bank or employer directly, or by asking the person to share the statement through the bank's own verification service. Never accuse someone on the basis of a file check alone.
Questions
Can PatraPDF prove a document is fake?
No tool can prove that from the file alone. It shows warning signs so you know which documents to verify with the issuer.
Is the document uploaded?
No. The check runs in your browser, which matters because payslips and statements contain personal data.
What if the PDF is a scan?
A scan is a picture, so there is less to check inside it. The tool still reports how the file was made and changed, but font and text checks need a PDF with real text.