COLD CHECK PROGRAM

• Merchant brings all bad checks to the County Attorney’s Office. Copies of the checks will be made and originals will be returned to the merchant.
• The office will send out a letter to all the check writers informing them that the merchant has turned over the bad check to the County Attorney. This letter will provide instructions for payment and will include notice of a $50.00 fee for the merchant and a $50.00 prosecutorial fee.
• All payments are processed through a third-party company, Advent. If the check writer follows the instructions on the letter and pays before the due date, Advent will send payment directly to you. You do not need to do anything else.
• The merchant will return to the office to sign a criminal complaint on the check writer if the check was not paid by the due date and a warrant or summons will be issued.
• Once a merchant signs a criminal complaint, the county attorney’s office will make every effort to collect the monies owed to the merchant and to the courts. The merchant must no accept payment from the check writer once a criminal complaint is signed. They must be referred to the county attorney’s office.
• The county attorney’s office will inform you if the case goes to trial as you will be required to attend. If the case is settled prior to trial, the check writer will ordered to pay you through the clerk’s office.
• **If a check comes back to you for closed account or insufficient funds, bring the original check to the County Attorney’s office as soon as possible. This increases the possibility that the check writer can be found. Finally, criminal charges on checks under $500 must be brought within one year after the date the check was passed. If you wait too long, we cannot prosecute the check.

What steps can I take to avoid becoming a victim of a cold check?

• Check a picture ID
• Write the Driver’s License Number on the check
• Confirm the information on the check matches the information on the picture ID
• Write the person’s date of birth on the check
• Do not accept third party checks

What are the benefits of using our program?

Our program is a free governmental service with the merchant’s convenience in mind. Collection agencies charge between 25-50% of the check’s face value and usually wind up filing charges in our office anyway.