Scam Alert: Write Out Your Dates on Checks With Full Year 2020

Usually this time of year we are all trying to get the darn year correct when we write a check. I don't know how many times I've accidentally put the year wrong when writing a check in January. But there's more at stake with it being 2020. Fraudsters can take advantage of you if you just write a 20 for the year.

I saw this on Kare11 and at first I couldn't imagine how they could tamper with it and why it would make a difference. I guess I don't have a criminal mind. But here's why.

If you just write the date as say 1-19-20, the scammer can add a 21 or 22, etc to the end of it, that way changing how long the check is valid for. So 1-19-20 and can become 1-19-2021. That can make your check still valid longer than the legal guidelines of 6 months.

But, what about contracts or other legal documents? A contract that is written to run only until 6-6-20, could technically be extended another year if you ad a 21 to the end, making it 6-6-2021.

Hopefully someone wouldn't find a way to take advantage of you, but taking the extra second to write out 2020 seems worth the effort to protect yourself.