what is California’s Penal Code 476 PC Tag

What Happens When you Bounce a Check in California

We all make mistakes. One of the mistakes that many of us have made at one time or another is not checking our account before writing a check. As a result, the check bounces and you face a series of problems. The good news is that in most cases, the consequences of writing a bad check aren’t horrible. The person/business you wrote the check to contacts you. You’re embarrassed but cover the amount of the check plus whatever fee the business attaches to the returned check. There’s also a chance that your bank will charge you an overdraft fee. Once you’ve covered all of these costs, you can stop worrying about the matter and get on with your life.

In some extreme cases, the legal system gets involved.

Check fraud is covered by California’s Penal Code 476 PC. According to the law, you can be charged with check fraud whenever you do something with a check that leads the person who is receiving the check that they believe is good. You can be charged with check fraud if you:

• Write a check even when you know there aren’t sufficient funds in your account
• Create checks for an account that doesn’t exist
• Alter the routing or account number on a check
• Writing checks for an account you don’t own
• Altering the amount written on a check