Fake Pay Stubs: How To Spot Them?

Paycheck receipts and stubs are essential for verification purposes. However, fake paystubs will cause a headache for property managers and banks.

You have to be wary of false information but you must check only some letter and number on a pay stub. Instead, you can prevent it with specific indicators discussed in this guide to detect fake pay stubs.

Indicators of a Fake Pay Stub: How to Stay Vigilant?

There are easy ways to tell a fake pay stub from a real one. Here are some factors that indicate when a pay stub is fake:

Watermarks

Fake pay stub sites have a watermark. It can be their website or company name or it can even say “real” pay stub. A watermark would typically mean that a pay stub has been generated via a fake site.

Typos & Errors

A well-reputed and professional paycheck stub generator doesn’t misspell the text on the stub. It’s a given that these legitimate online pay stub generators get all the basic terms, employee and employer names and other data right.

Any typos or errors indicate that the pay stub is fake.

Calculation Mistakes

Trusted payroll and pay stub generator software do automated subtractions and additions so there’s rarely a chance of mathematical mistakes. Calculation mistakes are usually attributed to fake payroll generators. It’s one of the telltale signs of a fake pay stub.

Zeros in Deduction Lines

Every salary stub has deductions, including income tax, insurance or other Federal and State deductions. If a paystub’s deduction line shows zeros, it’s most probably a fake paystub. Alternatively, it could also indicate a paystub for a self-employed individual. There are tax deductions for pay stubs of self-employed individuals.

Different Salary Dates

Most employers have a single defined period when they pay their employees. It can be semi-monthly, bi-weekly, weekly, or monthly. Inconsistent pay periods, such as 18-day period, then 14-day period, then again an 18-day pay period, are a red flag.

Check Numbers

Every pay stub has check numbers. It would be best if you looked for any missing check numbers. They should be in order such as 1002, 1003, etc. If the numbers are inconsistent or nonexistant, it means the pay stub is fake.

 

Avoid scams and opt for legitimate and professional employee pay stub generator. Paystubmakr is a paycheck stub generator that quickly generates pay stubs in three simple steps. Make a payroll check stub now or get in touch with them.