Can someone create a fake document from scratch instead of modifying an existing one?
Yes, and this is an important limitation to understand. Our PDF authenticity checker looks for evidence that an existing PDF file was changed after it was created. A document whose content was false from the moment it was first produced carries no such evidence, because nothing was changed afterwards.
What that means in practice:
- A fabricated invoice or certificate can contain false information without any trace of later editing
- A result with no detected modification means exactly that – no modification was detected – not that the document is genuine
- A file produced by consumer software comes back Inconclusive rather than Intact, because its structure can’t vouch for a file anyone could have produced from scratch
Additional checks for critical documents:
- Request the original file from the issuing organization directly
- Check document details with the claimed issuer (company, institution, authority)
- Check for official digital signatures or stamps
- Compare document format and layout with known authentic samples
- For scanned documents (photos of documents), request the original digital file instead
Our service is a powerful tool for detecting tampering with existing files, but it cannot replace human judgment and thorough review processes. For a document that could have been fabricated from scratch, confirmation with the issuer is the stronger check.
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Verifying Specific Documents
Read the evidence inside the one file you were sent. HTPBE? analyses a PDF’s internal history and tells you whether it was edited after it was generated – Intact, Modified or Inconclusive. It does not tell you whether the content is true or who sent it.
Reading Your Results
Every date and time is shown in UTC so that everyone sees the same absolute time, whatever timezone a PDF recorded its dates in. To get local time, add your UTC offset.
Usually clock drift: the device that created the file had an inaccurate clock. Look at the date together with the verdict and the document’s source, and check important documents independently.