Can a hot check cost you your job?

On Behalf of | Apr 17, 2023 | Criminal Defense |

If you are accused of intentionally writing a hot check, it could limit your ability to secure work, as many jobs require you to handle money.

Under Philadelphia state law, a court will presume you intentionally committed theft via a bad check if one of two things is true:

  • You wrote a check (that was then refused) drawn against a bank where you did not hold an account at the time you wrote it
  • You failed to remedy the situation within 10 days of the bank advising you that they had refused to honor your check.

The level of the offense varies depending on the amount the check was for. It would range from a summary offense if the check was under $200 to a third-degree felony if the check was over $75,000. Repeated offenses will be treated more severely.

Even an accusation might harm your employment chances

Your current employer might terminate your employment when they find out what you’ve been accused of. An employer you apply to might disregard your application when they see the note about a bad check on your record.

To some degree, it is understandable. Employers want to be sure they can trust their employees around cash and trust them with customers’ credit cards. The problem is that many innocent people are accused of intentionally writing hot checks when all they are guilty of is thinking they had more in their bank account than they did.

If you face criminal accusations because one of your checks bounced, getting legal assistance could be crucial to preserving your job prospects and good name.

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