What does it mean when someone wrote a bad check?

[faerietale]

What does it mean when someone wrote a bad check? Does this mean that they committed a crime? Fraud? Should this person be trusted? So confused!

[annie24]

it means that they wrote a check but didn't have the money in their account. i've done it myself on accident. most of the time bank's have overdraft coverage so it doesn't bounce. i guess it depends on whether this person is doing it intentionally or not.

[faerietale]

If the person did it intentionally, what does that mean about them, in your opinion? I know it's a vague question, but I'm just curious...

[annie24]

well, depends on how much. i know i've written a check and then thought to myself, "ok, that means i need to go deposit some money in the bank before they cash it!"

 

i think if they are willfully writing big checks knowing they can't pay it, then it's basically the same thing as stealing.

[Moontiger]

If the person did it intentionally, what does that mean about them, in your opinion? I know it's a vague question, but I'm just curious...

 

Could you give a bit more detail? Has the person done this more then once (intentionally)? What amount of money are we talking about? $100? $1,000? What is the relationship between the check writer and the person/place that received it?

[twentiesgirl86]

If someone does it on purpose, I think they are an idiot. Not only are they screwing over the other person/company but they are screwing over themselves as well. It's one thing if it's an accident. I've done it, but it's another when it's done on purpose.

[browneyedgirl36]

Well, sometimes, it's a mistake. Many of us have done it by accident; I know when I was younger, I bounced a couple of checks because didn't keep a very good record of my bank balance; however, I had overdraft protection, which meant that the recipient of the check got paid and never knew that I didn't have the funds. The bank pulled the money from my credit card and paid the check with that, and then charged me an overdraft fee. I haven't bounced a check since I was in college, though, many years ago, and I have never written someone a check knowing full well that I didn't have the money to cover it.

 

If someone does it on purpose, especially repeatedly, it's technically a crime. Witing a check if you don't have the funds to cover it is called "check kiting," and in many places, it's illegal. Not to mention the fact that it's pretty rude. I was the recipient of a bad check for $500 from a sketchy roommate of mine. He admitted he knew he didn't have the money when he wrote the check. I probably could have had him prosecuted, but I let it go when he gave me half the money he owed in cash. He moved out very shortly there after. Quite frankly, he was a dirtbag, and him writing me a $500 knowing he had no funds was just one more piece of evidence of that.

 

So, it depends: Did the person do it on purpose? If so, I wouldn't have a very high opinion of that person. If someone doesn't have the money to pay me, I'd appreciate it if they'd just admit it. If they don't, though, and they try to pass off a bad check, that's shady. If they do it all the time, to various people and businesses, that's a criminal.

[zep]

Doing it on purpose is the same as stealing; it's a fraud. If someone does this it means they don't have good character and morals. I would say committing this kind of crime makes someone a bad person. Obviously they should not be trusted.

[lavenderdove]

Yes, it is technically illegal. But most of the time, what happens is your bank will charge you a stiff fee ($35+ dollars) and the person you wrote the check to will come after you to pay them, and if you do pay them you're out the $35. But if you do it a lot and for large sums (and intentionally and repeatedly) with checks that you never make good in the end, you can be prosecuted.

[lavenderdove]

btw, if they do it intentionally, then either they are desparate and have no money at the moment and are trying to stall and weak because they don't want to admit they dont' have the money at the moment, or else they have bad morals and don't care as long as you get off their back for a while when they give you a bad check.

 

Crooks can and do write a lot of bad checks and then skip town and make good on none of them. That is definitely illegal and if the amount is large enough, they can put warrants out for them to be arrested if caught.