How to spot a fake stock certificate offered as KYB ownership evidence, when the ledger matters more than the vignette.

A Schedule K-1 reports a partner's share of income. Capital-account math, form year, and an IRS transcript catch edited and generated fakes.

A fake 1099 is an information return edited after creation or generated from scratch. Match it to the IRS wage and income transcript.

How to spot a fake employment verification letter: edited versus generated files, the tells that fail, and six checks on the file.

Spot a fake mortgage statement by confirming principal, amount due, due date, and rate with the current servicer.

Spot a fake W-9 by matching the line 1 name and TIN. The IRS publishes a blank form and does not seal a completed one.

Spot a fake merchant statement by rebuilding amount processed from the fee lines and confirming the merchant ID with the processor.

Spot a fake DBA certificate in the county index: file number, registrant, and expiration. A filing is not good standing.