How to Spot a Fake or Altered Receipt PDF

Fake and altered receipts are used to inflate expense claims, fake proof of purchase, and support fraudulent refunds. When a receipt PDF has been edited, an amount, a date, a vendor name, the change usually shows up in the file’s structure even when it looks flawless. Upload the receipt to the free PDF Verified checker to see the forensic signals.

Verify a document free →

Drop your document here and sign it now. PDF, Word and Excel all work: a .docx or .xlsx is laid out in your browser exactly as it was written, so there is nothing to convert first. Add a signature, a date, a company stamp or a watermark, then download it sealed. Free to start, no account, and the file is never uploaded to open it.

Step by step

  1. Go to the free checker at /verify.
  2. Upload the receipt PDF.
  3. Let the engine analyse its structure, metadata and revisions.
  4. Review the flagged anomalies before you accept or reimburse it.

What to look for

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to spot a fake receipt?

Yes. Upload the PDF to the PDF Verified checker and get a verdict for free, no account needed. The file is analysed and not shared.

Do I need the original to compare against?

No. If the document was sealed by PDF Verified, the SHA-256 fingerprint is embedded and checked automatically. For any other PDF, the forensic checker inspects the file's own structure, metadata, and revision history.

Is my document kept private?

The file is processed only to produce the verdict and is not published or shared. Verification of a PDF Verified document can also be done with just the QR code or short code, without uploading the file at all.

How do I check if a receipt is fake?

Upload the receipt PDF to /verify. The forensic checker inspects the file for signs of editing, appended revisions, re-encoded content where figures were changed, and a producer that doesn’t match a real merchant system, and reports AI-origin signals, so you can judge whether it is genuine. Checking a document sealed by PDF Verified is free; the full forensic report on any other PDF is $1.50 without an account, or included on a plan.

What PDF Verified is, and what it is not

These checks are a screen, not a verdict. A clean result means nothing was found by the checks that were run, which is not the same as proof that a document is genuine, and a flagged result can have an innocent explanation such as a re-save or a scan. Read the findings rather than the headline, and where a decision carries real consequences, confirm the document with the party that issued it. It is a tool for examining a document, not for producing a forged or altered one.

PDF Verified is a tool for preparing, signing, stamping and checking documents. It is not a law firm, a compliance service or a forensic examiner, and nothing here is legal, financial or compliance advice. Requirements differ by country, by document type and by the party asking, so check what applies to your document before you rely on it, and take advice where the document matters. You are responsible for the documents you create, sign and send, and for having the authority to do so: signing or stamping in somebody else name, or as an organisation you do not represent, is forgery whatever tool is used. To the extent the law allows, we accept no liability for how a document made with this tool is used or relied on. The full position is in our terms of service.

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