Whether it is a PDF or a document, it is not easy to figure out whether it was generated with AI to look real and is fraudulent.
And you won’t be able to prove that a PDF or a document is real simply by running it through an online tool, although that also has to be a central part of the verification process. Here’s a five-step process that can help you verify whether a PDF or document is authentic.
Step 1: Run it Through a Detection Tool
The first thing you need to do to verify the authenticity of a PDF or document is to run it through an AI checker. There are multiple AI detectors on the market, and you need to choose a good one.
One specific requirement is that the detection tool must be capable of figuring out whether a document is AI or not, without flagging it for content that sounds mechanical.
This is because most official documents have very formal language, and there are some detectors that tend to flag human writing just because it sounds mechanical and rigid.
So, choose one that has a low rate of false positives, while being able to figure out if it was human-written or generated using AI without focusing on the writing style.
Choosing a tool that is able to detect AI-written content successfully is crucial to the initial step to determine whether AI could have been used to create the specific document.
Step 2: Verify the Signature
In a digital document, a crucial aspect of authenticity is the presence of a an original signature. A digital signature uses public-key cryptography and a certificate from a trusted authority. It can easily prove who signed it and whether the file has remained unchanged after the signing.
Using an Adobe PDF Tool
You can check the signature on a PDF using a tool like Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader. Open the document in the application and then look for the signature panel.
You can either click on the Signatures icon or go to View, then show/hide to Navigation Panes, which leads to Signatures. Click on the entry, and you will see a status that will either say Valid, Unknown, or Invalid.
When you right-click the signature and choose Signature properties/Validate Signature, you can check the signing time, the signer indentity/certificate, and document status, which tells you whether the document has been modified after signing.
You can click on Show Signer’s Certificate to check who the signature was issued by, the Valid From and Valid To dates, and the certificate chain leading to a trusted root CA.
If Acrobat says the signature is valid, and the certificate is trusted and unexpired, you can be certain that the content of the document is cryptographically protected and has remained unchained since it was signed and issued. You can also use a free online tool to validate signatures.
Check Signatures in Other Types of Documents
In other types of documents, you can open them, go to File, then Info, and select View Signatures. The drop-down leads you to Signature Details, where you can see the signer’s name and certificate and whether the document has been changed since the signing.
Step 3: Look Through Metadata or Version History
Even in PDFs and documents without signatures, you can look for inconsistencies that suggest forgery or post hoc edits.
Checking Metadata for PDFs
You can do this by checking basic metadata in Acrobat/Reader.
Open the PDF in the application. Go to File, and then Properties. On the Description tab, check Title, Author, Subject, and Keywords. Also check Creator and Producer, Creation Date, and Modification Date.
What should be considered an indicator is the Creator/Producer not matching the claimed source, like if a “bank statement” was not created by the banking system and was instead produced by a generic PDF editor.
If the Modification Date is long after the claimed issuance date, that should also be considered a red flag. If the Metadata fields are blank or edited. When there is a large gap between the Creation date and Modification date, it can mean it has been edited multiple times later.
Looking Through Version History for Other Documents
If the document is a cloud document like Google Docs or Sheets or Slides, you can navigate the document and check Version History, which will show when and how many times the document was changed. It is the same for desktop applications.
If you find that the document was changed heavily and numerous times, take that as a red flag. No official document is changed that many times. Moreover, you can use it to verify whether the claimed author actually created and edited the document.
Any heavy change in a single edit should be frowned upon. You should also note if the editing patterns match the story around the document.
Step 4: Check the Content of the Document Thoroughly
Scrutinize the document’s content for inconsistencies. It can be numbers that don’t add up, dates that don’t match or make sense, and even contradictions within the same document.
Formatting and typographical anomalies should also be frowned upon, since they can mean the content has been copied from elsewhere and added later. Contextual mismatches are also crucial, as this can often mean forgery.
An official document is thoroughly checked before it is passed. When you check through the content, any typos or margin issues should be a sign to reexamine the authenticity of the document.
If the document is making unbelievable claims, offering money or opportunities that feel too far-fetched, you should be wary of it. Make sure to verify the authenticity of a document fully before signing it or believing its content to be true.
Step 5: Contact and Cross-check with the Issuer
When the documents are high-stakes, regarding things like academic, legal, or financial exchanges, make sure to contact the issuer using any of their official channel. It can be a website, a known phone number, or an official email.
You must ask them to confirm whether they issued the document. You should also confirm the key details and the date.
If the document claims to have come from a known place, like a tax authority, bank, or university portal, consider logging in and checking whether the document is there in the portal. If it’s there, download it and cross-check to verify if the copy is totally authentic.
Final Thoughts
With any official document or PDF that comes your way, verifying its authenticity is crucial, especially if it involves crucial things like the bank or your university.
Make sure to verify signatures, check metadata or version history, and look for any inconsistencies in the document. If you can contact the issuer, please do so, especially for high-stakes documents.
If you follow the steps, you can easily decipher which PDFs and documents are real and which are fraudulent.
