How do you know if a document is true or false?

Document fraud affects all businesses, of any size and in any sector and it can be very expensive, both financially and reputationally. To preserve your business, allowing your teams to recognize a false document is therefore essential. So how do you know if a document is true or false? Find out in this article.

False document: definition

A false document refers to any document that has been created and then used in order to deceive, obtain illegitimate advantages, or to commit criminal activities. It harms both businesses and individuals.

Different types of false documents are distinguished, such as counterfeiting, forgery and pseudo-documents.

These can take many forms. These can be identity documents, birth certificates, diplomas, diplomas, contracts, bank details, estimates or even invoices. Generally, they are used to defraud when taking out insurance, for example, in real estate, or to take out a loan.

How do I create a fake document?

So how do fraudsters create these false documents? Today, many tools such as Canva, Photoshop or Paint can allow anyone to create or modify a document on their personal computer from scratch.

In addition, it is now possible to create a false document on the Internet using tools available to the general public. You don't even have to go to the dark web anymore. Some are even imagined on the model of ChatGPT. This is the case with WormGPT or FraudGPT.

Despite these increasingly sophisticated fraud techniques that can cause concern, there are reliable and effective ways to detect fake documents.

📣 We're talking about it! To learn more about WormGPT and FraudGPT, join the anti-fraud community!

How do I recognize a fake document?

There are various methods for recognizing a fake document. The first being simply with the naked eye.

Detecting a fake document with the naked eye

Careful visual inspection can help you identify a fraudulent document. Incoherent font, layout, paper quality if it is a non-scanned document, print quality, blurry images... Some details are not deceiving and you can notice signs of fraud with the naked eye, when it is rudely done.


🙁 The negative point: as fraud techniques are becoming more and more sought after, unfortunately, this is not enough. In addition, if your company processes a large number of documents, this technique will also be insufficient to combat fraud in the long term and this is time-consuming for your teams.

Detect a false document thanks to the training of your teams by an expert in document fraud

Calling on an expert in document fraud can be a boon in the fight against fraud for your business. They know how to recognize much more complex cases. Indeed, their training prepares them to detect details such as watermarks, inauthentic signatures, hidden symbols, and subtle alterations that the untrained human eye may not be able to recognize.

👀 To find out more about being a documentary fraud expert and trainer, discover our interview with Jean-Paul Gagnon.

🙁 The negative point: they are an excellent support in occasional cases of fraud to be detected. However, once again, in the event that your company processes a large number of documents, this technique will also be insufficient to fight against documentary fraud.

Detect a fake document using fake document detection software

Thanks to the advent of technology, and in particular artificial intelligence, numerous digital tools are available to detect false documents. These programs use sophisticated algorithms to analyze scanned documents in depth. They can access information that is invisible and inaccessible to the human eye. For example, software to detect false documents will make it possible to recognize if a PDF has been modified and on which software... even if nothing seems to be manipulated at first glance.

This is the case of the solution for detecting false documents developed by Finovox.

Why choose Finovox as a solution for detecting false documents?

If you deal with documents frequently, you may want to consider investing in software for detecting false documents such as Finovox.

Developed thanks to proprietary artificial intelligence, the Finovox solution makes it possible to analyze 100% of documents and to detect fraud.

So what information does our solution see that the human eye cannot see?

• Data structure: by analyzing the data structure of your document, Finovox breaks down each line of your document and to discover possible alterations. It also makes it possible to know if the document provided comes from an automatic generator or not.

• Metadata: this is the digital identity card of the document. These are altered as soon as it is opened and modified in software like Photoshop. By analyzing them, Finovox can thus tell you that the file has received one - or several - modifications and in which software.
  
• Forensics data: Finovox provides its customers with tools such as Forensic PDF and Forensic Image. These tools allow you to better investigate all your documents. Modifying pixels, fonts or sizes, you will be able to understand everything thanks to these two tools.

This information - and much more - is accessible thanks to the powerful tools that make up our solution and which then allow you to provide “evidence” of attempted fraud.

Do you want to know more about our solution? Contact one of our experts!

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