Cheque fraud
Cheque fraud (Commonwealth English) or check fraud (American English) is a category of criminal acts that involve the unlawful use of cheques to illegally acquire or (effectively) to borrow funds that do not exist within an account balance or account-holder's legal ownership. Most methods involve taking advantage of the float (the money made available by a bank for a time between the presentation or negotiation of the cheque, and its clearance at the cheque writer's financial institution) so as to draw out or permit access to funds.