It’s a new year, with new laws, and the possibility for new scams. Police are warning of the latest scam that could leave you open to fraud in 2020.

If you usually abbreviate the year when you write the date on documents, stop it now. For example, if you write 1/3/20, instead of 1/3/2020 or January 3rd, 2020, you may be at risk. By only writing 2-0 in an abbreviated form, scammers could tack on a different year, which can lead to all sorts of problems.

When dealing with loans, if you agreed to make payments on 1/1/20, someone could change the date to 1/1/2019, and come after you for late fees and additional money. It could also be an issue with checks, for example a check dated 1/1/20 could become 1/1/2021, and cause issues with your account if someone tried to cash it again.

Experts say the solution is really simple, write out the full date on all documents, legal or otherwise. It could potentially save you trouble down the road.

1-3-2020