The East Millinocket Police Department in Maine posted a word of advice on their Facebook page when it comes to abbreviating 2020 in the new year.
Don’t do it, they say.
Here’s why: if you sign a document and put “20” as the year, someone could modify the number by simply adding two digits.
For example, take 3/3/20, the date used by the department. Someone could easily transform that into “3/3/2000” or “3/3/2019” or even “3/3/2
But writing out 2020 “could potentially save you some trouble down the road,” the department wrote in the post.
A similar warning came from Dusty Rhodes, the auditor for Hamilton County, Ohio.
Writing out the full year “could possibly protect you and prevent legal issues on paperwork,” he tweeted Tuesday. “If you just write 1/1/20, one could easily change it to 1/1/2017 (for instance) and now your signature is on an incorrect document.”
When writing the date in 2020, write the year in its entirety. It could possibly protect you and prevent legal issues on paperwork. Example: If you just write 1/1/20, one could easily change it to 1/1/2017 (for instance) and now your signature is on an incorrect document.
— Dusty Rhodes (@AuditorRhodes) December 31, 2019
More tips to keep you protected in 2020 can be found from the Better Business Bureau here.
