Starting this year, make sure that you write all numbers when you write the year 2020.
Don’t abbreviate by writing the year as only “/20”, i.e. 1/1/20.
Why does this matter?
If you use the abbreviated form, the date can be altered by merely adding 2 numbers after the 20 to change the year – i.e. 1/1/2019 or 1/1/2000, etc.
This can have unfortunate legal consequences, such as:
If you wrote only “/20” for the year on a check- it could be cashed now by internet presentation, and then potentially cashed again in 2021 by merely adding the numbers 21 at the end.
The term of a contract can also be altered when the abbreviation “/20” is used for the year. Say you signed a purchase contract for something with a 4 year warranty but dated it using the abbreviation “/20”. After the fact, the contract could be altered by adding 16 to the end of “/20”, thereby negating the 4 year warranty.
Fraudsters are crafty, but don’t offer them an easy opportunity to defraud you by not writing the full 2020.
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As a consumer law attorney, my practice focuses on representing people with consumer law issues including claims involving unsafe products, unfair and deceptive trade practices, product liability, breach of warranty, debt collection abuse, and accident injuries.
