Document Forgery
The creation or alteration of official documents — passports, driving licences, bank statements — to facilitate identity fraud or meet verification requirements under false pretences.
Also known as: forged documents, fake ID fraud, identity document forgery
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Document forgery in the fraud context refers to the production of counterfeit, altered, or digitally manipulated official documents used to deceive identity verification systems, financial institutions, employers, landlords, or government agencies. Modern document forgery ranges from template-based Photoshop edits of bank statements to specialist physical forgery of identity documents with security features.
In financial fraud, common targets include identity documents (passports, driving licences, national ID cards), proof of address documents, bank statements showing fabricated balances, and payslips. Digital submissions have made certain forms of forgery easier: a scanned or photographed fake document may pass a human review that would catch a physical forgery.
Document verification services counter forgery through hologram detection, UV-responsive feature checks, NFC chip reading (for biometric passports), machine-readable zone (MRZ) validation, and algorithmic analysis of document metadata and inconsistencies. Despite these controls, high-quality forged documents continue to enable identity fraud, money mule recruitment, and tenancy fraud.
Examples
- An applicant submits a digitally altered bank statement showing three times their actual account balance in support of a loan application.