Think twice before writing 20 instead of 2020

Year 2020 has arrived, and we are nearly a week in. People are starting to get back to work – so are scammers.

When dating documents, we love using abbreviations.

Last year we used to write 19 instead of 2019.

So it’s normal for us to write 20 to indicate 2020, but this poses a fraud risk.

A date like 6 Jan 20 can easily be defrauded as 6 Jan 2019 by adding 2 more digits behind the year.

The consequence can be huge: imagine if this is written on a formal contract and the date has been fraudulently backdated, where you are liable for any monies owing since the date of contract. Or if someone post-dates a cheque that has turned stale.

So save yourself some hassles down the track by writing the full 2020 when dating documents.