In this digital age, can you create a fake document? With the internet at our fingertips, the tools to create fake documents are everywhere and verification is a challenge across many industries.
This article will go into the mechanics of creating fake documents, the methods and the detection best practices.
The internet has many platforms that offer templates that look like real documents. Someone with bad intentions can download these templates and change the key details like personal info, financial transactions or figures to create documents that look like the real thing. These fake documents can fool individuals or organizations that don’t have the tools to tell the difference between real and fake documents especially when the changes are subtle yet significant enough to serve the purpose of deceit.
The DIY document fraud is getting popular because of the basic editing software like Microsoft Office, Google Docs and Apple Pages. In the past, software licenses were a barrier to entry, now anyone can sign up and start creating documents without any financial constraint. Although these self-made fake documents may not be as sophisticated as those made with professional templates or editing tools, they can still slip under the radar of unsophisticated verification and exploit the occasional oversight of those who verify documents.
With advanced image editing tools like Adobe Acrobat and Photoshop, individuals can now edit and manipulate digital documents with precision. These tools can change critical details like income figures, account balances and transaction history, making the documents look authentic to the untrained eye. This level of document fraud requires equally advanced verification techniques and thorough document analysis to counteract the threat and detect the forgeries.
A common method of creating fake documents is to use accounting software like Xero, MYOB and Reckon to create payslips that look like the real thing tied to fake accounts. By using free trials or basic subscriptions, fraudsters can create payslips that are linked to non-existent or fraudulent accounts but look entirely legit. This is a reminder to be vigilant and have sophisticated detection methods to stop the circulation of these fake documents.
Now that we can create fake documents, we need to develop advanced verification processes. Knowing how they are made is the first step to fighting fraud and document verification.