Do not abbreviate 2020, it is for your own good

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(CNN) - 2020 is finally here, and comes with its own set of challenges.

Not only do we have to break the habit of writing 2019, when we really mean 2020, but the beginning of a new decade also creates a unique opportunity for scammers, says Ira Rheingold, executive director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates.

How exactly, you ask?

When the 2020 abbreviated forms and official documents, those seeking to exploit desCrimeprevenidas people can easily manipulate those numbers and leave potentially vulnerable to fraud.

For example, a document dated 01/04/20 can be easily changed to adding two numbers 04/01/2021 end.

• LOOK: Five ways to improve your mental health in 2020

There are several ways that could pose a problem. Rheingold cited the example of a backward check, or one that is dated more than six months. If you have an old check that dates back to 1.4.20 and someone finds it, could add "21" to the end of that time, and ready, the check is not expired.

Or, let's say you sign a credit agreement, an agreement between a borrower and a lender, and date it 1/4/20. Say you then lose a month or two of payments and the lender will collect the debt it deserves. Theoretically, they could add “19” at the end of that date and argue that you owe more than one year of payments, Rheingold said.

We could go on, but let us leave us give the scammers more bright ideas.

We will simply leave it with a public service announcement that consumer advocates, auditors and police departments across the country have issued: when writing a date in a document, do not reduce the year 2020 to just “20.” Write it down. complete (it's just two more numbers, after all).

It's still early in the year and still no evidence that anyone has been scammed in this way. But prevention is better than cure.

"It's just another precaution, another opportunity to warn people that there are people who will take advantage of you," Rheingold said.

Fraud