The Miami-Dade and Broward County State’s Attorney’s Offices partner with a private company to operate Bad Check Restitution Programs. The programs allow people who have bounced checks to avoid threats of criminal prosecution by enrolling in an intervention class, covering the cost of bounced checks and paying additional fees. ProPublica has looked into the program and learned that prosecutors’ offices in 150 counties are cashing in on the programs that some say use deceptive tactics.

In the coming weeks, we’re going to be looking closer at the programs in South Florida. In particular, we’re looking for people who have received letters like this one: http://s3.amazonaws.com/propublica/assets/badchecks/miami_letter.pdf 

That means we need your help. If you’ve received the letter, sign up and we’ll be in touch.