by Kolton Fishback, Student Reporter
The year 2020 proves to be a serious problem for anyone filling out important documents or paperwork.
With fraud being a problem we face on an everyday basis, this issue is severe giving scammers an easy way to gain control or establish an unpaid debt or to cash an old check. Writing out the full date can prevent this. By only writing 20 for the year, scammers have the chance to add extra numbers, which can result in future problems.
According to Hamilton County Ohio auditor Dusty Rhodes, “It could possibly protect you and prevent legal issues on paperwork.”
Mary Berntsen, a junior social science education major from Conway Springs, Kansas shared,“I never really thought about it,” Berntsen said. “Until someone posted in on Facebook.”
The date could be used against you in the future because of how easy it is to change by adding a couple numbers. It will take some time to adjust putting the full year when writing out the date, but it will keep you safe from any legal issues on your paperwork.
For example, do not write the date 1-2-20. Instead, write out the full year 2020. According to Newsweek, “Changing a document’s date from 2019 to 1999 would be a lot more difficult to fake as it would be a 20-year difference, compared to changing a documents date from 2020 to 2019, which is only a one-year difference.
This advice has been shared widely on social media, and police and a county auditor have recommended writing out the date in full.
Chase Zook, an ag education major from Waynoka, Oklahoma had this to say, “When I heard about it, it was before the new year.”
This year has the potential to cause problems on legal issues or paperwork, however if you write out the full year you will have nothing to worry about.