Cheque fraud refers to a category of
criminal acts that involve making the unlawful use of
cheques in order to illegally acquire or borrow funds that do not exist within the account balance or account-holder's legal ownership. Most methods involve taking advantage of the
float (the time between the negotiation of the cheque and its clearance at the cheque-writer's bank) to draw out these funds. Specific kinds of cheque fraud include
cheque kiting, where funds are deposited before the end of the float period to cover the fraud, and
paper hanging, where the float offers the opportunity to write fraudulent cheques but the account is never replenished.