Complaint / Review
JBC Legal Group
Ripoff Illegal returned check prosecution warning lette

I received a letter from the JBC Legal Group, concerning a returned check for $282.26, dated 3/6/1998. The returned check has been disputed for years, because of service issues from a crooked car dealer. The letter I received from JBC Legal, stated that I would be prosecuted under the laws of the State of California. Also that I am a criminal for not paying the check. The check was written in Austin, Texas, to a local Austin business, while I resided in Austin, and was written on a Texas bank account. The law which governs this check is Texas law.

Texas law states you have two years to prosecute or recover for a bad check. Since the dealer knew they would not win in court, they did not prosecute me by the deadline of 3. Now four years after the statue of limitations expired, and six years after the check bounced, this JBC company is stating they will file charges on me in California.

So long story short, California has nothing to do with this check, since the statue of limitations have expired, and the business was not located in California, no prosecutor in this state will take this case. The Travis County Attorney's office can't accept any checks over two years old for prosecution, since the statue of limitations expired. So for this company to state, that I will be prosecuted, is just criminal. I will not pay this check, and it will come off my credit report in 5 months, on 3; since it will be 7 years old at that time.

My suggestion is: check with your local district attorney's office or prosecutors office; before taking any legal threats from this company seriously. JBC appears to be buying lists of old returned checks, after the statue of limitations have expired. Then JBC will make false threats of criminal action if you don't pay them. Making false threats is against the law in the Fair Debt Collection Act. All states have statue of limitations laws for this exact reason. If you try to start legal action after the statue of limitations have expired, there isn't much, if anything JBC or anyone else can do.