District Attorney Bad Check Program
The County District Attorney's office offers a Bad Check Program which allows victims to receive full
payment at no cost and allows
offenders to avoid criminal prosecution by paying the full amount and attending a financial management class.
In order to participate in the program, you must:
- Make personal contact with the checkwriter. If you cannot, send a courtesy notice. The
checkwriter has 10 days to respond.
Here is sample text for a courtesy notice:
| Date
Dear Check Writer:
You are hereby notified that a check numbered _____ in the face amount of $ ______, issued by you on ______ drawn upon _____ bank, and payable to _________, has been dishonored. You have 10 days from receipt of this notice to tender payment of the full amount of such check plus a service charge of $_____, the total amount due being $________.
Unless this amount is paid in full within the time specified above, the holder of such check may turn over the dishonored check and all other available information relating to this incident to the District Attorney for criminal prosecution.
Closing,
Your name/address
|
- If there is no response, contact the District Attorney's office. You will need to provide the District Attorney's office the bad check, the check writer's
drivers license and phone number.
The writer of the check is then notified and required to pay the amount
of the check and any additional bank fees incurred by the receiver. Bad check writers who refuse to pay
restitution may face criminal prosecution.
This program has a recovery rate of three times the national average.
Here is contact information for your county program:
Los Angeles County Bad Check Restitution Program
P.O. Box 86407
Los Angeles 90086-0407
(800) 842-0733
http://da.co.la.ca.us/badcheck.htm
