William "Willie" N. Meggs

State Attorney, 2nd Judicial Circuit

What Should I Do When I Receive a Worthless Check?

    You should send the writer of the check a notice, by certified or registered mail with a return receipt requested or by First Class U.S. Mail with an  Affidavit of Service, giving them fifteen (15) days from the receipt of your letter in order to pay you the face amount of the check, plus a service charge of $25.00 (if the check does not exceed $50.00), $30.00 (if the check is greater than $50.00, but does not exceed $300.00), $40.00 (if the check is greater than $300.00), or 5% of the amount of the check, whichever is greater.

    The State Attorney's Office, Worthless Check Division, has fill-in-the-blank copies of the fifteen-day notice which are available for the asking or which may be downloaded from this site; call us at (850) 606-6002 for instructions.

    Once you have either received the return receipt or the unclaimed letter and have waited the required fifteen days from the date the check writer would have received the letter, bring it, the original check (or a certified front and back copy from your bank), and any other relevant information (copy of a contract, lease, work order, or invoice; statements made to you either orally or in writing by the check writer regarding the check; names of witnesses who know something about the check, etc.) to the State Attorney's Office. We will assist you in filling out a Sworn Complaint against the check writer or we will tell you if the case will need further investigation or if it is unsuitable for prosecution.