Legal Definitions - raised check

Raised Check

A raised check refers to a check that has been fraudulently altered to increase the monetary amount for which it was originally written. This alteration makes it appear as though the drawer (the person or entity who wrote the check) authorized a larger payment than intended. It is a form of forgery or material alteration, often done with the intent to defraud.

Here are some examples:

• Example 1: Personal Check Alteration

  Sarah writes a check to her friend, Mark, for $75 to cover her share of a weekend trip. Mark, intending to defraud Sarah, skillfully changes the numerical amount from "$75.00" to "$175.00" and modifies the written amount from "Seventy-Five Dollars" to "One Hundred Seventy-Five Dollars" before attempting to cash it.

  This is a raised check because Mark fraudulently increased the original authorized payment of $75 to $175 without Sarah's knowledge or consent, making it appear as if she had agreed to pay a larger sum.

• Example 2: Business Payroll Check

  A small business owner issues a payroll check to an employee, David, for $800. Before depositing the check, David uses a special pen to change the "8" in "$800.00" to a "3" and adds a zero, making it "$3,800.00." He also carefully alters the written amount from "Eight Hundred Dollars" to "Three Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars."

  This check has been raised because David illegally modified the original payment amount of $800 to $3,800, intending to receive significantly more money than the business owner authorized for his payroll.