The receipt total that changed: $58.70 became $88.70

A photo of one of our own receipts. We made a copy and changed one digit of the total, then checked both files.

• Before: the genuine receipt, total $58.70.
• After: the "5" covered with the receipt's own "8".

What changed

• The total. One digit, copied from elsewhere on the same receipt. By eye, the copy is hard to fault.
• What saved the file. The genuine photo's compression settings match the phone's camera. The copy's belong to editing software.
• The phone's own records. The genuine photo carries them after the image. The copy has none.

What the report said: Authenticity B for both. The originality assessment moved from Consistent with original to Inconclusive.

The report shows the file was saved again by software after the camera. It doesn't show which number changed. The receipt does: GST is still $5.36. GST is one eleventh of a total that includes it: about $5.34 on $58.70, but about $8.07 on $88.70.

Go deeper

• How to check one yourself: Is this receipt, screenshot or certificate fake?
• Why it works: How to tell if a photo has been edited, by Kenneth Springer
• Try it on your own photo