Verify an FNB bank statement PDF
You have an FNB statement from an applicant or a new client. Check whether the PDF shows signs of editing the eye cannot see, and use FNB’s own Verify Statement service for the bank’s side of the story. The same checks run on every PDF, whichever bank issued it.
How FNB clients get and send a statement
In the FNB App, a client opens Statements, picks the account and the month, and taps the download icon. FNB calls the file this produces a “verified statement”, and its how-to guide walks through the steps. FNB clients can also get statements through Online Banking and at an FNB ATM.
The word “verified” describes where the statement came from: it was generated through one of FNB’s own channels. It does not describe the copy that reaches you. Between the download and your inbox the file has passed through the applicant’s phone or computer, and that is the part a file check looks at.
A verified FNB statement carries a reference number. Keep it: you need it for FNB’s own check, described below. If the applicant sends a statement without one, ask them to download it again from the FNB App or Online Banking.
If the FNB PDF asks for a password
- FNB does not state a statement password rule on a page we could verify, so we do not guess one. If a statement arrived by email, the covering email or FNB’s help pages explain the password.
- A file that needs a password to open cannot be checked here. A file that opens normally but is locked against editing or printing is checked in the usual way.
- Do not ask the applicant to take the password off for you. Ask them for a fresh copy from the FNB App or Online Banking that opens without a password.
- Ask only for the statement. Never ask for an FNB App PIN, a password or an OTP.
Why looking at an FNB statement tells you little
You can read every line of an FNB statement and still miss an edit. A PDF changed on a computer shows no smudge, no mismatched colour and no visible join, and a figure that was typed in later reads just like one the bank produced.
What you can judge by eye is whether the story makes sense: the salary, the employer, the regular debits. Whether the file itself was changed is a separate question, and it needs a check of the file, not a second read.
FNB’s Verify Statement service and a file check
FNB runs a public Verify Statement service. In FNB’s words, it “enables you to confirm that the account details on a statement provided to you by a third party are valid”. You enter the statement’s reference number and the account holder’s ID number, or the business account number for a business account. FNB notes that only verified statements generated from Online Banking, the App and ATM channels can be checked this way.
FNB also offers separate services to verify bank letters and bank guarantees. If an applicant sends an FNB confirmation letter instead of a statement, use the letter service for it.
FNB’s service confirms the account details against the bank’s record. A file check looks at something else: whether the PDF you were sent shows signs of editing. Atomara is not connected to FNB and cannot see FNB’s records. Run FNB’s check where you can, and check the file as well.
Check the PDF you were sent
Upload the file exactly as you received it. The result appears on screen in seconds, and your first 3 checks are free once you confirm your email.
Sent a proof of payment rather than a statement? Check it before you release the goods.
FNB statements: questions
What do I need for FNB’s Verify Statement service?
The reference number printed on the statement and the account holder’s ID number, or the business account number for a business. It works for verified statements generated from FNB Online Banking, the App or an ATM.
FNB’s service confirmed the account details. Why check the file too?
FNB’s service confirms the account details on the statement are valid. It is not described as a check of every figure in the PDF you hold. A file check looks at whether that PDF shows signs of editing, so the two answer different questions.
The statement is called “verified”. Is it safe to accept?
The name tells you the statement was generated through an FNB channel. It says nothing about what happened to the copy afterwards. Check the file, and run FNB’s own check with the reference number.
Do you check FNB statements differently from other banks?
No. Atomara holds no bank templates and is not connected to FNB. The same checks run on every PDF, whichever bank issued it.
Who checks these statements
Atomara is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to First National Bank (FNB). Verify Statement is FNB’s own service and is not operated by Atomara. The name FNB is used only to describe the format of the document.