Bad Checks

The Floyd County Sheriff’s Office assists businesses throughout the county when they are faced with having received a bad check from a customer. There are two types of bad checks – those which are returned due to insufficient funds and those which are written on a closed account. When a person writes a check and it comes back “insufficient funds” it’s the business’ responsibility to mail the subject a 10-day notice by certified mail. This allows the person to correct what is often times an error on their part in terms of not having money in their account. If the person who wrote the check does not take care of their debt after having received the notice then theft charges can be filed. If a person writes a check on a closed account, such charges can be filed immediately after the check is returned by your bank and no notice is necessary. Note: If you enter into an agreement with anyone regarding a bad check they wrote criminal charges cannot be filed and it becomes a civil matter.

It is recommended that businesses always obtain a driver’s license number and phone number when accepting checks. This aids law enforcement in tracking down subjects at a later time if a bad check is written. Most addresses are current on peoples’ checks but it doesn’t hurt to ask if an address is accurate either. If you have questions regarding bad checks please contact Deputy Matt Lovik or Deputy Josh Patrie at the Sheriff’s Office at (641) 228-1821.