The short answer
To catch a fake bank statement before the embassy does, check the PDF's own record for the software that made it, scan the bank's QR code and confirm it opens the bank's site, test the running balance line by line and match the solvency certificate. When something is off, ask the client for the bank's original rather than accusing them.
In Bangla
ভুয়া ব্যাংক স্টেটমেন্ট ধরতে PDF-এর নিজের রেকর্ডে দেখুন কোন সফটওয়্যারে ফাইলটি বানানো, ব্যাংকের QR কোড স্ক্যান করে নিশ্চিত হোন সেটি ব্যাংকের নিজের সাইটে খোলে, প্রতিটি লাইনের ব্যালান্সের হিসাব মিলিয়ে দেখুন এবং সলভেন্সি সার্টিফিকেটের সাথে মেলান। কিছু অস্বাভাবিক লাগলে ক্লায়েন্টকে দোষ না দিয়ে ব্যাংকের আসল কপি চান।
Key takeaways
- Thirteen countries' missions warned applicants in Bangladesh against forged documents in April 2026, so officers are reading statements harder than ever.
- A bank's system does not produce statements in Word, Google Docs or a phone scanner app, and the PDF's properties usually show which tool made the file.
- Since a Bangladesh Bank circular of May 2026, statements and solvency certificates should carry a QR code that opens a verification page on the bank's own site.
- Simple arithmetic on the running balance catches many edited statements that look perfect at a glance.
- Flag the paper and ask for the bank's original; never accuse the client, and never file a paper you believe is false.
A fake bank statement in one client's file can cost far more than that client's visa. It can bring a deception refusal, a ban and questions about every other file your agency sends. This guide is for caseworkers who check statements and solvency certificates every day, and for owners who sign off the files.
It covers how often forged papers turn up, the three kinds of bad statement, what a PDF's own record shows, how to use the QR code, a ten-minute check, and how to raise a concern with a client without a fight.
How common are fake bank statements in visa files from Bangladesh?
Common enough that the missions have said so in public. On 8 April 2026, thirteen countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy and Sweden, issued a joint statement in Dhaka warning applicants against forged documents and unlicensed agents (Prothom Alo).
On statements specifically, Bonik Barta reported in September 2026 that bank staff allegedly sell solvency certificates showing deposits that never existed, that consultancies and Facebook pages offer the same, and that several embassies now reject statements from particular banks (Bonik Barta). Canada was also reported in October 2026 to have charged five people over 243 fake applications.
None of this means your clients are lying. Most are not. It means the officer reading your file has seen enough forged statements to look closely at every one, and your checks have to be at least as careful as theirs.
Fake, edited or just weak: know which problem you have
Not every bad statement is forged. Caseworkers deal with three different problems, and each needs a different response.
| Problem | What it looks like | How it usually shows | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made from scratch | A statement for an account, balance or bank history that does not exist | Word or a phone app in the file's record, wrong layout, a QR code that leads nowhere | Do not file it. Explain why and decline unless the client brings the bank's original |
| Real but edited | A genuine statement with changed figures, dates or a name | Running balance that does not add up, a file saved long after it was made, uneven fonts | Ask for a fresh statement sent by the bank or collected from the branch |
| Real but inflated | A genuine statement where the balance comes from a loan or money parked for the visa | Big deposits in the weeks before the application, with no earlier history | Show the true source with letters and transfer records, or leave the money out |
The third kind is the one agencies miss, because nothing about the paper is false. Bonik Barta's report describes loans taken in a student's or guardian's name and presented as savings. The statement is real; the story it tells the officer is not. Our playbook on tracing the money in a statement shows how to follow those credits back to their source.
What a PDF's own record tells you
Every PDF carries a small record of how it was made: the program that created it, the tool that saved it and the dates of both. Open the file in a PDF reader and look at Document Properties. Banks generate statements from their core banking or reporting systems, so the record normally names a report engine or the bank's own system.
- Word, Google Docs, Excel or Canva as the creator of a bank statement, ticket or tax paper is a strong reason to ask questions. Banks do not type statements.
- A phone scanner app means someone photographed paper. That can be honest, a sealed statement scanned at home, but the bank's own PDF is better evidence.
- An online PDF editor in the record means the file passed through a tool that can change text. Merging pages is a harmless reason; ask which it was.
- A modified date weeks after the created date on a paper the bank issued once deserves a fresh copy.
- No record at all happens when a file is re-saved through some apps. It proves nothing alone, but it removes one reassurance.
Know the limits. Metadata tells you how a file was made, not whether its numbers are true. A careful forger can produce a clean record, and an honest client can produce an ugly one by sending a statement through three apps. Treat the record as a reason to look harder, never as proof.
How do you check the QR code on a bank statement?
Scan it with a phone, check that the page opens on the bank's own website rather than a lookalike address, and compare what the page shows with the paper in front of you. Bonik Barta reports that a Bangladesh Bank circular of 12 May 2026 requires online-verifiable QR codes on bank statements, solvency certificates and investment certificates, with banks given 90 days to comply.
The same report says implementation is still incomplete, so a statement without a QR code is not proof of forgery; ask the bank whether it issues them yet. A QR code that opens a page on a domain you do not recognise, or a page that shows a different balance or date, is a far stronger signal than a missing one.
A ten-minute check for every statement
Run this on every statement and solvency certificate before it goes in the file. It needs a calculator, a phone and the client's other papers.
- 1
Open the properties
Note the creator, the producer and both dates. Anything other than the bank's system goes on your list of questions.
- 2
Scan the QR code
Confirm the page is on the bank's own domain and shows the same account, name, date and balance as the paper.
- 3
Test the running balance
Pick five lines at random across the six months and check that the previous balance plus credits minus debits equals the balance printed. Edited statements often fail here.
- 4
Match the solvency certificate
Same bank, same account, dated within a few days of the statement's closing date, with a balance that agrees with the statement on that date.
- 5
Match the person
The account holder's name and address should agree with the passport, NID and form, and the employer letter's salary should appear as monthly credits.
- 6
Call when in doubt
Ring the branch on the number from the bank's website, not the one printed on the paper, and ask whether the account and certificate are theirs.
How do you raise a doubt without accusing the client?
Describe what the file shows and ask for the original; do not tell the client their paper is fake. "The statement appears to have been produced in Word. Could you ask the bank to email it to you, or collect a sealed copy from the branch?" gives an honest client an easy way to fix it and a dishonest one a clear signal that you check.
Many clients did not make the paper themselves. A cousin "arranged" it, or another consultant promised it would help. Explain what happens to people refused for deception: the UK's rules treat a false document as grounds for refusal and a 10-year ban. If the client still wants to file the paper, decline the file in writing and keep a note of why.
How Visolv flags a suspicious paper
Visolv reads each paper's own record as it arrives. It flags statements, tickets, bookings and tax papers whose record names Word, Google Docs or a phone PDF app, files modified long after they were created, and papers identical to one already seen in another client's file. The wording is a request, not a charge: "appears to have been produced in Word; ask the client for the bank's original."
Each flag sits on the file's traffic light with a fix button that asks the client for the original through your branded portal, and your caseworker can mark it "It's fine: add a reason" when there is an honest explanation. The same metadata check catches rented flight reservations, which our post on dummy ticket risks covers.
Why one fake paper is an agency problem
A forged statement does not stay in one file. Officers see your agency's cover letters and patterns across many applications, and the missions' joint statement said plainly that they are not associated with any agent. An agency that files clean papers, and declines files it cannot make honest, protects every other client it sends.
Make the checks routine rather than personal: every statement, every time, by a named caseworker. For the rest of the file-quality picture, read about the habits that cut refusals and what to expect from software built for agencies. The aim is simple: when an officer looks closely at a statement from your agency, they find exactly what the bank issued.
Frequently asked questions
Can a PDF's metadata prove a bank statement is fake?
No. Metadata shows which program made or saved the file and when, which tells you how the file was handled, not whether its figures are true. A statement made in Word is a strong reason to ask for the bank's original, but an honest client can create odd metadata by re-saving a file, and a careful forger can produce clean metadata. Use it as a prompt, not proof.
Does a QR code mean a bank statement is genuine?
Not by itself. A QR code is only useful if it opens a verification page on the bank's own website and that page shows the same account, name, date and balance as the paper. Forgers can print a QR code that leads to a lookalike page. Check the address in your phone's browser before you trust what the page says.
Is a scanned bank statement acceptable for a visa file?
A clear scan of the bank's signed and sealed paper statement is a normal way to send it, especially for a VFS self-upload. The problem is a scan where the bank issues PDFs, or a photo that hides details. When the bank can email its own PDF or a QR-coded statement, ask for that, because it is easier for an officer to check.
What should we do if a client admits the statement was bought?
Do not file it. Explain that a false document brings a deception refusal and, for the UK, a 10-year ban, and that it can follow the client into every later application. Offer to build the file on the money they can honestly show, or to wait until they can. Record your decision on the file in writing.
Can loan money be shown in a visa bank statement?
Money from a loan is not the client's savings, and presenting it as savings misleads the officer. If a loan funds part of the trip, it has to be disclosed honestly, and the officer will judge whether the client can repay it. Never let a client take a short loan to lift the balance before applying and then return it after the decision.
Why is a bank statement made in Word a problem if the numbers are right?
Because banks do not produce statements in Word, so an officer has no reason to trust that the figures came from the bank. Even if every number is correct, the file looks re-made. Ask the client for the bank's own PDF or a sealed paper copy from the branch, and the question disappears before it reaches the embassy.
The Visolv team
Editorial team, Easital Technologies (Dhaka)
Visolv is software for visa agencies, made in Dhaka by Easital Technologies: an AI caseworker that reads and checks every paper in a client's file, writes the drafts and builds the upload pack under the agency's own brand. We write about what we see in real visa files from Bangladesh.
