[chrisgoman]

This is why a lot of places don't accept personal checks. This has been around for decades "bounced checks" - NSF (not sufficient funds), REFER TO MAKER, STOP PAYMENT, etc. Not only do you not receive the funds, you are fined by your own bank.

It is a crime in most states (keep the returned check handy) https://oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/bad-checks but kind of hard to enforce