Washoe County District Attorney’s Office Urges Community Participation in Fraudulent Check Diversion Program

Provides Restitution for Businesses

Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks is once again reaching out to the local community to raise awareness about the Fraudulent Check Diversion Program. With businesses facing significant losses each year due to bounced or fraudulent checks, the program aims to mitigate these losses and ultimately reduce consumer costs for everyone.

“We unfortunately see local businesses lose hundreds of thousands of dollars a year due to fraudulent checks,” said DA Chris Hicks. “Check fraud is a crime and is a significant challenge for our financial system. Our community suffers heavy financial harm when goods and services are essentially stolen through the use of bad checks.”

Reflecting on the past year, numerous small, local businesses have benefited from the program. In 2023 alone, a local pet hospital encountered 14 fraudulent checks, while a flooring company faced nearly half a dozen instances. Additionally, significant amounts of restitution were achieved, with one Reno casino involved in three cases totaling more than $45,000.

The Fraudulent Check Diversion Program is tailored to facilitate full restitution for businesses by providing fraud check writers with a supervised payment plan instead of prosecution. Participants are also required to attend educational sessions focused on responsible check-writing, budgeting practices, and understanding the repercussions of criminal behavior.

“The goal behind this program is to offer bad check writers the opportunity to make full restitution to their creditor in a safe, structured way while avoiding going to court for their actions,” said DA Hicks. “This streamlined process avoids additional strain on our overburdened criminal justice system and makes victims whole.”

Since 2015, the Fraudulent Check Diversion Program has collected more than $1.2 million dollars in restitution and fees that have been returned to local businesses and used to support the program.

To learn more about how the Fraudulent Check Diversion Program works, get a copy of a complain form, or to download our warning poster for your business, head to our website HERE.