MindLab Future AIFree receipt file checker
Choose a receipt image to check it for AI-generated or edited-file tags, and to see whether it looks like a payment receipt at all. It runs in your browser. Your image is not uploaded and not stored.
Read before you upload: use the original file, and what this check can't do
Use the original file, not a screenshot of it.
- Use the image exactly as the customer sent it. If it came by Messenger, Viber or Facebook, download it in full quality or ask for it as a file or document.
- Do not screenshot the receipt you were sent. A screenshot is a brand-new image that erases the original tags, so any AI or editor mark is lost.
- Messenger, Viber and Facebook often remove metadata when they compress a photo. In that case the result is “no metadata”, which is neutral. Email or an upload form such as POPLoad keeps the file as sent.
Privacy: the file is read on your device. Nothing is sent to our servers or stored, so there is nothing for us to delete. It is gone when you close or refresh the page.
Disclaimer: this is a helper, not a verdict. It reads the tags a file carries and the text on the image. A careful faker can strip tags, text reading can misread small or dark images, and a clean result never proves a payment. Always confirm the credit in your own account.
A receipt screenshot is not proof of payment. The proof is a matching credit in your own GCash, Maya or bank account. Before you ship, open your account and check the amount, the sender and the reference number. If you can't find the payment there, the order is unpaid, however real the screenshot looks.
Watch: payment screenshots in Messenger
Why fake receipts are a real risk
Free editing apps and ready-made templates can produce a convincing GCash or bank screenshot in minutes, and AI image tools can generate one from nothing. GCash has publicly warned about AI-generated fake receipts and advises people to check the Transactions tab in the app instead of trusting a screenshot (GCash newsroom).
For a Shopify seller who takes direct transfers, this means every order needs a check against your own account. If you are new to the setup, start with our guide to accepting bank transfer and GCash on Shopify.
The 5-step check (before you mark an order paid)
Look in your own account, not at the screenshot
Open your GCash, Maya or bank app and go to the transaction history. Find a credit for that payment. If it isn't there, it isn't paid, even if the screenshot looks perfect.
Match three details
The amount should equal the order total (watch for a short payment when a fee was deducted). The sender name should make sense for this customer. The reference number in your account should match the one on the receipt they sent. A number typed onto a screenshot can be invented, so trust the one in your own account.
Log every reference number you accept
Keep a simple sheet with the order number, amount, reference number, date checked and who checked it. Each payment has one reference number, so the same number on two orders means one payment is being reused.
Check the timing
The payment should come after the order was placed. Real-time transfers such as InstaPay and GCash usually appear straight away. Batch transfers such as PESONet can take longer, so a screenshot that says "pending" or "processing" is not a payment yet. Wait for it to clear.
Don't let pressure speed you up
"Please ship today, I already paid" with only an image to back it up is the moment to slow down. GCash itself advises double-checking when someone pushes you to release goods based on a picture. A real buyer will wait the few minutes it takes you to check.
Red flags on the image itself
These checks catch careless fakes. None of them proves fraud, and a clean image doesn't prove a payment, so always do the five steps above too.
- The same file, or the same reference number, on another order. Even if the file was renamed or re-saved.
- An amount lower than the order total.
- An edited file. The image was saved by an editor such as Photoshop, Canva, GIMP or PicsArt.
- An AI-generated image. The file carries a tag from an AI image tool.
- A date earlier than the order.
- Missing details. The screenshot is cropped so the reference number, time or sender name is cut off.
- A status other than completed. "Pending", "processing" or "scheduled" is not money in your account.
- It isn't a receipt at all. A photo of something else, or a screenshot of a chat.
If you suspect a fake
Keep the order unpaid and stay polite. A message like this works:
"Hi! I can't see the payment in our account yet. Could you check your transaction history and send me the reference number and the account you paid from? We'll ship as soon as it shows up."
A real customer answers quickly. A fake sender usually goes quiet, gets pushy or sends another screenshot.
If you already shipped on a fake receipt
- Keep all the evidence: the receipt images, the chat, the order details and the delivery information.
- Contact your bank or e-wallet support and report what happened. They can tell you what, if anything, they can do.
- Consider filing a report with the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group.
- Then tighten the routine: no shipping until the credit shows in your own account.
Recovery is not guaranteed, which is why the check before shipping matters more than anything after.
Where POPLoad fits
POPLoad is our Shopify app for collecting and reviewing receipts. Customers upload their receipt on the Thank You page, and you review it next to the order. It runs the file-level checks above automatically (reused file, reused reference number, wrong amount, edited or AI-generated image, old date) and flags suspicious receipts for you.
It does not see your bank. You still confirm the money in your own account before you approve. POPLoad is currently in Shopify's app review, so it is not on the Shopify App Store yet.
FAQ
Can you tell a fake GCash receipt just by looking at it?
Not reliably. Free editing apps and sold templates can make convincing screenshots, and AI tools can generate them. Red flags such as an edited file, a reused reference number or a wrong amount are worth checking, but a clean-looking receipt does not prove the money arrived. Check your own account.
Is a GCash screenshot proof of payment?
No. A screenshot only shows what the sender's phone displayed. The proof is a matching credit in your own GCash, Maya or bank transaction history, with the right amount, sender and reference number.
What should I check in my account before shipping?
Four things: the amount matches the order total exactly, the sender name makes sense, the reference number matches the one on the receipt, and the time is after the order was placed. If any of these is missing, keep the order unpaid.
How do I stop the same receipt being used on two orders?
Keep a simple log of every reference number you accept, with the order number. A payment has one reference number, so the same number on two orders means the same payment is being reused. Apps like POPLoad do this check for you.
What if a customer says they paid but nothing shows in my account?
Keep the order unpaid. Ask them to check their own transaction history and send the reference number and the account they paid from. Real-time transfers usually appear right away, while slower transfers can take longer to clear. Ship only once the money shows in your account.
Want fewer receipts to check by hand?
POPLoad puts the receipt next to the order and flags the suspicious ones. Tell us about your store and we'll reply within 24 hours.
This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice. Reporting steps and bank procedures vary, so check with your bank or e-wallet. MindLab Future AI is not affiliated with GCash, Maya or Shopify.