Not quite the scenario described (it wasn't an academic paper), but <a href="https://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/73317.html" rel="nofollow">https://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/73317.html is my experience of dealing with a forged PDF. Part of the reason it's rare is that it's actually very hard to do it well!
mjg59 · · focus · HN ↗
arjvik · · focus · HN ↗