Have you been dragging your feet about switching from paying with old-timey checks to more secure and modern forms of digital payment. Perhaps you are forced to keep up this outdated way of making payments by an institution that refuses to step into the 21st century.

Well…this year offers a special vulnerability to those who still write checks. Luckily, it’s an easy vulnerability to avoid and we want to give you a friendly piece of financial housekeeping advice as we head into the new year and new decade. Check it:

Americans often abbreviate dates. For example, the fourth day of January this year is easily abbreviated, “1/4/20.” We all know what it means, but watch this. It’s as likely to be written, “1/4/2020.” Did you spot the vulnerability?

If you write 1/4/20, and someone wants to cause you untold headaches, they can simply add some numbers and claim that you did it, like this, 1/4/2019. 

So be sure to fill out the whole year this year, like this “1/4/2020,” but don’t worry, it’s just for one year, then we’ll be in 2021!