Privacy and security · Edited statements
Check a bank statement PDF for signs of editing
If you rely on statements other people send you, it helps to know when a PDF has been changed since the bank produced it.
or drop it here
Read in this browser. Your file is never uploaded.
Rows wrong or missing?
Send us the shape of this statement, not its contents. The report below is made in this browser. It keeps where text sits, dates and column headings. Every name, amount, reference and account number is replaced with x and 1, as you can see. Nothing is sent until you send it.
Then email the report to support@statementtocsv.co.uk and say which bank it is from. We’ll add the layout and let you know.
| Date | Description | Paid in | Paid out | Balance |
|---|
Send us the shape of , not its contents. The report below is made in this browser. It keeps where text sits, dates and column headings. Every name, amount, reference and account number is replaced with x and 1, as you can see. Nothing is sent until you send it.
Then email the report to support@statementtocsv.co.uk and say which bank it is from. We’ll add the layout and let you know.
| Check | Result | What we found |
|---|
Statements
| Period | File | Opening | Closing | Rows | Used as |
|---|
| Date | Description | Paid in | Paid out | Balance | From |
|---|
Works with text PDFs that have Date, Description, Paid in / Paid out (or Amount) and Balance columns. Scanned or photographed statements are not supported yet. The samples are fictional test data.
These checks point to things worth a closer look. They don’t prove a statement is genuine or fake. Treat a warning as a reason to ask for the original, or to verify with the bank.
What the converter looks for
Text typed over other text
A common way to alter a PDF is to cover a figure and type a new one on top. On screen it looks normal, but the original figure is often still in the file underneath. The converter notices text placed on top of other text where a bank’s statement system wouldn’t put it, and reports it as a sign of editing.
How the PDF was made
PDF files record which program produced them. Bank statements are generated by banks’ own statement systems. A “statement” produced by a word processor, a spreadsheet program or an online PDF editor is worth a second look. Sometimes there is an innocent reason, but it is not what a bank produces.
Balances that don’t add up
Changing one figure on a statement breaks the arithmetic: the running balance stops following from the transactions. Changing every later balance consistently is much harder, and the printed summary totals often give it away. The converter checks every running balance, the opening-to-closing total and the printed summary.
How to check a statement
- Convert the PDF aboveUse the file exactly as you received it, not a re-saved or printed copy.
- Look at the result badge“Possibly edited” means the PDF shows signs of editing. “Check needed” means the balances don’t add up.
- Read the notesThe note under the result explains what was found, such as text over text, or the program that made the PDF.
- Decide what to doAsk for the statement again, preferably sent directly from the bank or downloaded in front of you, or verify the details another way.
For several statements
The whole-year check lists every statement in a set that shows signs of editing, alongside the missing-month and duplicate checks. See the whole-year check.
What it can’t tell you
A PDF that passes every check could still be fake: made carefully from scratch, or a genuine statement for a different person. And a genuine statement can trigger a warning, for example if someone opened it in an editor just to add a note. Use these checks as one signal among others. See how to spot a fake bank statement.
Questions people ask
Can the converter prove a statement is fake?
No. It reports signs of editing and arithmetic that doesn’t add up. Those are reasons to look closer, not proof.
Why was my own statement flagged?
If you opened and re-saved it in another program, the PDF records that program. Download a fresh copy from online banking and convert that.
Is edited-statement detection free?
It is a Pro feature, free for everyone during the beta.
Is the statement uploaded for checking?
No. All checks run in your browser.