Avoid Abbreviating 2020
As the calendar year changes from 2019 to 2020, a unique concern arises regarding the signing of documents. When dating a document or check, you should refrain from abbreviating the year 2020 to just "20". Due to the way this year looks when it is abbreviated, scammers can easily manipulate these digits to change to an earlier date. For example, if you sign and date a document on January 6, 2020 and abbreviate it to 1/6/20, a scammer could easily add two digits onto the end of the "20", making it 1/6/2009 or 1/6/2021.
This is especially important when dating legal documents. For documents such as wills, sales or service contracts, closing disclosures, settlement statements, releases, custody agreements and purchase agreements, stating the correct date is essential.
Experts also warn that scammers could use this dating method to establish an unpaid debt or to attempt to cash an old check.
Protect yourself this year by writing out the full year as 2020. If you have any questions about this or about any legal document, please contact our Firm.