Dallas Capital Bank is excited to ring in the new year and new decade, as our clients and team continue to grow. But with opportunity, risk can often arise. This year, two digits could make a huge difference in your financial security, more so than in any years prior.
It may seem simple, but something many would not consider: leaders are warning consumers to not abbreviate the year to “20” on ANY documents. Instead, the leadership of the National Association of Consumer Advocates says to include all four digits to clearly identify the date as being in “2020.” If you do not identify the full date, you could be making yourself vulnerable to scammers and fraud.
Why 2020? This year's abbreviation is easily changeable and could be used against you. For example, a document dated 1/4/20 can easily be changed to 1/4/2021 by adding two numbers at the end. Alternatively, items could be backdated to 2019, potentially creating room for claims against you for an additional year’s worth of payments.
Checks and contracts are especially vulnerable to these types of fraud attacks as they are more-easily altered or forged than other documents.
Dallas Capital Bank is committed to the financial security of its partners and clients, and always looks to provide information as the world evolves, to protect your accounts and your everyday life. In addition to consumer advocates, auditors and police departments around the country are also chiming in on the strong warning: When you write a date on ANY type of document, write out the entire year—it's only two more numbers, after all.
Sources:
Brookbank, Sarah and Joel Shannon. “Stop abbreviating 2020. Police say it leaves you open to fraud and could cost you big.” USA Today, 1/3/2020. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/stop-abbreviating-2020-police-say-it-leaves-you-open-to-fraud-and-could-cost-you-big/ar-BBYyqBo. Accessed 14 January 2020.
Kaur, Harmeet. “Don't abbreviate 2020. It's for your own good.” CNN, 1/4/2020. https://www.cnn.com/ 2020/01/04/ us/dont-abbreviate-2020-date-fraud-trnd/index.html. Accessed 14 January 2020.