A really useful tip from a lawyer I saw on Facebook this morning. When writing/signing/dating a legal document this year, PLEASE DON'T ABBREVIATE 2020.

Say if you're signing the date 01/02/2020...make sure you write out 2020.

Because if you just sign it 01/02/20....someone could easily manipulate that date to read 01/20/2019 or whatever date (year) they wanted it to be.

Might not seem like a big deal to you, but it does leave you open to fraud.

It's a practice called backdating.

Backdating documents can be illegal or even criminal. If backdating document misleads a third party or gives a false impression about when an action was taken, it may be fraudulent. The parties’ intentions are also important when evaluating whether backdating is legal. (JDSupra)

 

Backdating is the practice of marking a document, whether a check, contract or another legally binding document, with a date that is before what it should be. Backdating is usually disallowed and even can be illegal or fraudulent based on the situation. There are certain situations, however, when backdating is acceptable; however, the parties involved must agree to it. (Investopedia)

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