Koncile detects tampering in PDF and image files, and certificates generated or edited by AI, then returns a fraud score from 0 to 100: spot an online template or an edited scan before a claim or a file is approved.
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A real marriage certificate is a certified copy issued by the county clerk or the state vital records office where the license was issued, with a seal, a recording date and a license or registration number. Check that names and dates agree with the ID documents, then check the file: the software that produced it, its dates and its editing traces.
Certified copies, scans and PDFs: the checker runs four levels of checks. A filled in template or a replaced name leaves traces, either in the computer file or in the pixels.
A certified copy is issued by a county clerk, a recorder or a state vital records office, then scanned or sent as a PDF. Koncile reads which software produced the file. A template site or a word processor is not how a county records a marriage.
An edited PDF often keeps its earlier versions: Koncile rebuilds them and shows the before and the after, the original spouse's name or date included, even when seal and layout are perfect.
On a scan or a photo, K-Detect, our image analysis model, isolates edited zones: a name retyped over the original, a seal or a signature pasted in. It also flags certificates generated in whole or in part by AI.
Both spouses' names and dates of birth must match their ID documents, and the ceremony, license and recording dates must follow each other. Koncile flags every mismatch; cross checks with birth certificates in the same file are being extended.
Marriage fraud covers two very different situations, and only one of them shows in the file. A checker sees the forged document; it cannot see a marriage contracted for the wrong reasons.
A novelty certificate filled in online, or a genuine certificate with another name or date. It claims a marriage that was never recorded, to add a spouse to a policy, claim a survivor benefit or explain a change of name. These documents never went through a county recording system, and their file shows it: a template tool in the metadata, a creation date after the date of issue, a name retyped in another font.
The marriage was celebrated and recorded, the certificate is authentic and untouched. The fraud lies in the purpose, often immigration benefits. No file check can see it, since nothing was modified. It surfaces through the rest of the file and through interviews, not through the certificate.
This page is about detection only. Koncile's checker is for businesses verifying the documents they receive, never for producing one.
Without a tool, these three checks stop clumsy fakes. Ask for the certified copy or the PDF exactly as the county issued it, not a photo of a framed certificate.
The copy must name the county or state office that issued it, carry its seal and a clerk's signature, and show a license or registration number and a recording date. A decorative ceremony certificate does not prove a recorded marriage.
Both spouses' names and dates of birth must match their IDs. The ceremony date must follow the license date and precede the recording date. A name change after the marriage should be consistent with the names on the certificate.
Use our free PDF metadata viewer: a template site, a word processor or a PDF editor in Creator or Producer is a red flag. When the stakes justify it, confirm the record with the county clerk that issued it.
Koncile's fraud detection API gives you a score from 0 to 100 and detailed explanations of manipulation risks, right inside your own tools.
Spouses, dates of birth, ceremony date, officiant and issuing office, ready to cross check.
High, medium or low level, with a one sentence explanation.
High risk from 80.
A one line summary ready for your information system.
curl -X POST https://api.koncile.ai/v1/upload_file \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" \ -F "files=@marriage-certificate.pdf"requests.post("https://api.koncile.ai/v1/upload_file/", headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}, files=[("files", open("marriage-certificate.pdf", "rb"))]){ "status": "DONE", "General_fields": { "Issuing_office": {"value": "County clerk", "confidence_score": 0.97}, "Date_of_marriage": {"value": "2025-06-21", "confidence_score": 0.98} }, "Fraud_detection": { "risk_score": 83, "summary": "Certificate built from an online template, spouse's name retyped", "signals": [ {"name": "Generator fingerprint", "severity": "high"}, {"name": "Fonts and alignment", "severity": "medium"} ] }}A marriage certificate adds a beneficiary, opens a survivor benefit or explains a change of name. In France alone, insurers identified €182 M of fraud in protection insurance in 2025 (ALFA). Here is where the checker fits in.
A spouse named as beneficiary, a survivor pension, a death benefit: the certificate is checked with the claim, the IDs and the policy, before payment.
A marriage certificate explains why the name on an account differs from the name on an older document. The certificate is scored and its names cross checked with the ID before the record is updated.
Adding a spouse to a health or life plan usually requires a marriage certificate. The check runs on enrollment, before the dependent is added.
A template filled in with care, or a name replaced on a real copy, often shows no visible error. The checker relies on signals inside the file and the image.
| Element of the certificate | What Koncile checks | What gives a fake away |
|---|---|---|
| Issuing software | Creator and Producer, compared with how a county office or a scanner produces a copy | A template site, a form builder, a word processor or a consumer PDF editor |
| File dates | Creation and modification dates, compared with the date of issue | A file created or edited after the copy was issued |
| File writing style | Object order, cross reference table, stream compression, saved versions | The fingerprint of a known generator or editor, an earlier version with another name |
| File nature | Native PDF, scan, photo or hybrid file | An image pasted into a PDF, a native PDF where a scanned certified copy is expected |
| Image | On a scan or a photo: edited zones and AI generated parts, with K-Detect | A name retyped over the original, a seal or a signature pasted in |
| Certificate content | Issuing office, license or registration number, officiant, dates in order | No issuing office, no number, a ceremony date before the license |
| External sources | Not queried by Koncile: your team confirms with the county clerk | A record the county cannot find |
A marriage certificate holds two names, two dates of birth, places and family details. Founded by a former lawyer, Koncile was built with data protection at the core of its architecture: third party SOC 2 audit, GDPR compliance, secure hosting. Certificates are encrypted, deleted after analysis and never used to train a model.
Check that it is a certified copy from the county clerk or the state vital records office, with a seal, a clerk's signature, a license or registration number and a recording date. Check that names and dates match the spouses' IDs. Then check the file for editing traces and template tools. The county that issued it can confirm the record.
Yes. Using a forged certificate to obtain a benefit, a payment or a change of status is forgery and fraud under state law. Entering a marriage to evade US immigration law is a federal crime under 8 U.S.C. § 1325(c), punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The license is issued before the ceremony and authorizes the couple to marry. Once the officiant returns it signed, the county records the marriage, and the certificate, or certified copy of the record, is what proves it. A license alone does not prove that a marriage took place.
The certified copy proves that a marriage was recorded. Proving that it is genuine takes more: a shared address, joint accounts, a joint lease or insurance policies, children's birth certificates. A document checker verifies each of these documents; it does not judge the relationship.
Look for what a template cannot add: an issuing office, a seal, a clerk's signature, a license or registration number and a recording date. Then open the file: template sites and form builders leave their name in the metadata, and the creation date often comes after the date printed on the certificate.
From the county clerk or recorder where the license was issued, or from the state vital records office, in person, by mail or online. In England and Wales, certified copies come from the General Register Office or the local register office. Only authorized people can order one in some states.
Yes. Koncile complies with SOC 2 and GDPR, and an independent firm certifies our security and data protection. Your documents are hosted securely with a provider that itself holds SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certifications, and are deleted after analysis.
Each document gets its own method: a proprietary ML model for photos, known metadata and forensics for native PDFs, and contextual cross checks.
Inflated balances, deleted lines, a PDF rewritten with software other than the bank's.
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Net pay changed, contributions that do not match gross pay, a layout that does not match the payroll software.
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Photo replaced, date of birth or number changed, an MRZ that no longer matches the fields.
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Edited amounts, wrong VAT, duplicates and made up suppliers.
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