Please Don’t Abbreviate the Year ‘2020’ on Checks and Legal Documents

#1

Post by maxheadnyc » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:16 PM UTC

Please Don’t Abbreviate the Year ‘2020’ on Checks and Legal Documents
frequentbusinesstraveler.com

Re: Please Don’t Abbreviate the Year ‘2020’ on Checks and Legal Documents

#2

Post by maxheadnyc » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:16 PM UTC

Many of us in tech are prone to using mobile apps instead of cash - but we do sign legal documents and this is an area where it would pay to be particularly careful when writing the year.

Re: Please Don’t Abbreviate the Year ‘2020’ on Checks and Legal Documents

#3

Post by blhack » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:18 PM UTC

I think that if somebody is going to commit fraud against you by changing the date on a check or document, that this is not going to matter at all.

Re: Please Don’t Abbreviate the Year ‘2020’ on Checks and Legal Documents

#4

Post by war1025 » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:21 PM UTC

I saw one of my aunts share this on Facebook and was unsure if it was actual advice or just the normal chain mail spam that gets passed around.

Thoughts?

Re: Please Don’t Abbreviate the Year ‘2020’ on Checks and Legal Documents

#5

Post by NickBusey » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:21 PM UTC

Please just never abbreviate the year. 100 years passes quickly these days.

Re: Please Don’t Abbreviate the Year ‘2020’ on Checks and Legal Documents

#6

Post by reificator » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:23 PM UTC

Yet more reason to use the objectively correct date format.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601#Dates

Re: Please Don’t Abbreviate the Year ‘2020’ on Checks and Legal Documents

#7

Post by tomc1985 » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:23 PM UTC

This meme is analyzed in detail by a lawyer and his friend in the middle of this podcast:

https://openargs.com/oa347-pennhurst-and-the-voter-purge-in-...

Re: Please Don’t Abbreviate the Year ‘2020’ on Checks and Legal Documents

#8

Post by noisem4ker » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:24 PM UTC

Just switch to ISO 8601 formatted dates already: YYYY-MM-DD.

Re: Please Don’t Abbreviate the Year ‘2020’ on Checks and Legal Documents

#9

Post by conqrr » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:26 PM UTC

war1025 wrote: post #4

I saw one of my aunts share this on Facebook and was unsure if it was actual advice or just the normal chain mail spam that gets passed around. Thoughts?

This one does make sense. I haven't read it yet, but I always write the full year. For 2020, if you abbreviate it as just 20, adding two more digits allows anyone to fake a future date into 79 years (2021, 2022.. 2099) etc However in the past, this would have been avoided since abbreviating 2019 as 19 and adding two digits would move you into the past which wont make sense always.

Re: Please Don’t Abbreviate the Year ‘2020’ on Checks and Legal Documents

#10

Post by choward » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:27 PM UTC

noisem4ker wrote: post #8

Just switch to ISO 8601 formatted dates already: YYYY-MM-DD.

I agree. I love when my dates sort fine as normal strings. It's easier to read too imo.