How to distinguish a fake: checking electronic documents and signatures?
With the development of digital technologies, document forgery has moved to an online format. How to distinguish a fake from an original and what tools will help in verification? Let’s look into the details.
Due to the growing popularity of online document management in the modern world, cases of file and signature forgery have also become more frequent. Unlike paper media, digital documents require special verification methods. We will analyze how to distinguish an original from a fake and what to pay attention to.
How to check electronic documents:
1. Checking the document form. On the official website of the department to which the document belongs, you need to check the form of the document itself (header, font, form of filling, number of this document, if any, etc.). You can also check the existence of this document on the official website.
2. Checking the seal. You need to compare the seal with similar documents published in the public domain, and also check for traces of Photoshop.
3. Verifying the signature. It is worth paying attention to the responsible person, paying special attention to the correspondence of his full name, position and signature to the real ones. Further verification is carried out in the same way as checking the seal.
Electronic signature verification
Recently, the use of electronic signatures (EDS) in electronic documents has become popular. An electronic signature can also be verified. Verification is necessary when receiving any document signed with an EDS, to protect against fraudsters and unscrupulous counterparties. For example, when receiving an agreement from a counterparty, an application from an auction or tender participant, before conducting a payment order in a bank.
A valid electronic signature certificate allows you to:
- identify the person who signed the document;
- confirm the authenticity of the document;
- make sure that the document was not signed by accident;
- hold the person who signed the document accountable in the event of refusal to fulfill obligations;
- make sure that the digital signature has not expired.
A valid electronic signature is one that simultaneously meets three requirements:
- generated using a certificate that has not expired at the time the document is issued;
- placed directly by the owner of the certificate and his identity can be determined;
- generated directly for this document, and it has not been edited since.
How to verify the authenticity of an electronic signature
- Using special plugins for Word, Excel, PDF.
- By applying for a service for checking electronic signatures and certificates in official government portals.
- Using Internet services of various certification centers. They are often created by certification centers, electronic trading platforms or developers of crypto providers.
In the context of growing cyber fraud, checking electronic documents is not just a recommendation, but a necessity. Use all available verification methods: from visual analysis to specialized services. This will protect you from possible financial and reputational losses.