Hi everyone! I really need some help with a situation I'm facing. My employer regularly sends me an email with a link to download my payslip, which comes as a PDF file. Recently, I downloaded my payslip again after noticing some discrepancies from two months ago. Upon downloading it, I discovered that it had been altered. To my surprise, the old payslip file on my phone—downloaded two months ago—had also changed.
I'm really confused and worried. **Is it possible for my employer to alter a PDF that I've already downloaded to my phone?** Did they somehow hack into my device? I'm also desperate to find the original version of the file to confront them about what's happened. Unfortunately, I didn't take any screenshots of the original, and many people think I'm just imagining things. But I remember discussing specific details about the payslip with a friend, and he recalls them too. Any advice on what I can do?
5 Answers
Honestly, if your company is changing the documents after they send them, that raises some flags. But it’s also super unlikely they hacked your phone. Most likely, it's just changes on their end that you’re facing when you download the file again. If the PDF was stored on your phone, it's tough to alter it without your knowledge. How did you save it—was it on the cloud or your device?
It sounds more like when you downloaded the file again, you replaced the original with the updated version from your employer. Companies often make changes on their end, and if you're downloading the same file name, it’s probably just overwriting what you had. Also, the operating system you’re using could affect how files are named—there might be an option to keep multiple versions. What phone OS do you have?
That makes sense. I've downloaded it multiple times and now I see different versions. The first one has the date of when we get our payslips, but they all look the same otherwise.
If they emailed you the original, then they can't retroactively change what's already been sent out. Maybe you’re misremembering specific details, which can happen. Have you checked how your PDF viewer operates?
I didn’t think of that! I need to look at the file properties on my phone to see when they were downloaded.
The chances of your PDF being changed without your permission are low. Mobile apps typically operate in a secure space and can’t change files without distinct permission. If they issued a new payslip, you'd likely just be viewing the latest version instead of the original. Consider checking your downloads folder to see if there are any versions left over from before the overwrite.
True, the mobile OS does have decent security. I doubt they modified the file on the phone without you knowing.
It’s more plausible you just downloaded the updated file, which replaced the old one. If saved on your device and not the cloud, it’s likely they didn't change the document itself. However, it's still worth discussing your concerns with your employer for clarification.
I did download it three times, but I still have one that shows the date. I remember the unique details that are now missing!
It was on my personal phone and not saved to any cloud services. But people keep saying I might just be mistaken about the contents.