Proof of funds sent by an unknown lender, whether a bank statement, a bank letter or a SWIFT message, can be forged in minutes; the only thing that counts is money actually received on your account from an account in the lender's name.
Why a fake lender shows off his money
Displaying a balance of several hundred thousand euros is meant to convince you that the loan is real and that only a few fees are holding it up. This staging almost always comes just before a request for processing, insurance or notary fees.
The doctored bank statement
A PDF statement or a screenshot of a banking app is easy to alter with free photo-editing software. Uneven fonts, a round balance, an incomplete IBAN or a pixelated logo are clues, but a careful forgery may show no visible flaw at all.
Fake SWIFT MT103 and MT799 messages
Scammers send copies of SWIFT messages supposed to prove a transfer in progress or funds set aside for you. A private individual cannot check such a document alone, and an image of an MT103 never guarantees the money will leave the sending account.
The blocked funds certificate
Another classic: a letter on the letterhead of a European bank certifies that funds are blocked in your favour until you pay a release tax. No bank makes a private transfer conditional on the beneficiary first paying fees of any kind.
Banking secrecy limits any verification
Your bank cannot look into a third party's account or confirm its balance, because of professional secrecy. Calling the issuing bank, on a number you found yourself, only tells you whether the document and its signatory really exist.
The only proof that counts: money received
A loan is real when the funds land on your account for good, sent from an account opened in the lender's own name. Neither a promise of transfer, nor a transaction number, nor a screenshot can ever replace that actual credit.
The fake escrow notary
Some scammers claim the funds are held by a notary who is waiting for your fees to release them. A genuine notary appears in the official directory of notaries; our page on the notary's role in a peer-to-peer loan explains their real work.
What a genuine lender can provide
A relative acting in good faith will sign a written contract, show an identity document and transfer from an account in their own name. No spectacular bank certificate is needed, as our guide to lending between friends and family points out.
Checking that identity and account match
Compare the name on the proof of funds, on the contract and on the IBAN provided. A French lender who sends a German statement, then asks for payment to a Lithuanian bank in a third party's name, shows a decisive inconsistency.
Licensed platforms: the licence is the proof
On a crowdfunding platform licensed by the AMF, the French financial markets regulator, you do not ask lenders for proof of funds: the platform channels money through segregated accounts. Our page on peer-to-peer crowdfunding details how this works.
Reporting duties attached to a real loan
Once funds arrive, a loan above 5 000 euros must be declared on formulaire 2062 (the French tax form for declaring loans), filed with the borrower's income tax return. Unlike proof of funds, this tax document commits both parties before the authorities.
Reporting a fake proof of funds
A fake bank certificate amounts to forgery and use of a forged document, on top of attempted fraud. Send the document to PHAROS, the police reporting platform, warn the bank whose name was misused and call Info Escroqueries on 0 805 805 817.
Checking a proof of funds in six steps
- Note the bank name, address, signatory and IBAN shown on the proof of funds you received.
- Find the bank's official phone number yourself and ask whether the document and the signatory exist.
- Compare the account holder with the lender's identity and with the name on the proposed contract.
- Refuse any request for fees presented as a condition for releasing the announced funds.
- Insist on a final transfer to your account before signing an acknowledgement of debt or a repayment schedule.
- Have the contract reviewed by a notary, a lawyer or a consumer association.
Proof of funds: what is free and what is suspicious
| Item | Normal cost | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Check with the issuing bank | Free | The lender forbids you to contact the bank |
| Lender's transfer to your account | Fees paid by the sender, indicative | Release tax demanded from the borrower |
| Optional notarial deed | Fees of a real notary, indicative | Unknown notary paid by foreign transfer |
| Declaring a loan above 5 000 euros | Free, formulaire 2062 | Fake tax certificate supplied by the lender |
| Copy of a SWIFT message | No cost, no evidential value | Presented as a guarantee of payment |
Useful documents when facing a proof of funds
- The proof of funds received, as the original file rather than a screenshot
- The email or message that came with it, including the sender's address
- The lender's identity document and the name of the IBAN holder
- The draft loan contract and the proposed repayment schedule
- Your bank statement showing the transfer actually received
- Formulaire 2062 if the loan exceeds 5 000 euros
Mistakes people make with a proof of funds
- Treating a bank statement or app screenshot as a guarantee, when such a file can be edited in a few minutes.
- Believing that a SWIFT MT103 message sent as an image proves a transfer is committed and irrevocable.
- Paying a release tax or escrow fees to free funds supposedly blocked in your favour by a foreign bank.
- Calling the phone number printed on the certificate, which may lead to an accomplice posing as the bank.
- Signing an acknowledgement of debt before receiving the funds, which creates an obligation with nothing in return.
Proof of funds and private loans: practical questions
Can I ask my bank to check the lender's account?
No. Banking secrecy prevents your bank from looking at a third party's balance. Your adviser can, however, help you read an IBAN, identify the bank's country and spot a suspicious document. The only reliable check remains a final transfer received.
A serious lender refuses to provide proof of funds: is that suspicious?
Not necessarily. A private individual has no duty to show their accounts and may legitimately protect their data. What matters is that they sign a clear contract, identify themselves and transfer the funds from an account in their name without demanding any upfront payment.
What is a proof of funds signed by a notary worth?
It is worth something only if the notary exists, actually practises and confirms the document when you contact the office through the official directory. A notary never asks a borrower for release fees by foreign transfer, voucher or crypto-asset.
Is proof of funds also used when buying property with private money?
In a property sale, the seller or notary may ask the buyer to show how the purchase is financed. The scam reverses this pattern: the fake lender displays funds to extract fees from the borrower. The two situations have nothing in common.