Can you put the amount on a check someone has signed for you?

Question

So, at school we were buying books, and this girl was at the cash register about to pay for her stuff. She whips out a check that her mom had signed. The amount was blank, and when the cashier told her what amount was due, she filled it in on the check. Can you do that, is it legal? i mean, legal to have someone sign a check for you and you just fill in the dollar amount? i start marching band for the first time next week and need some stuff. give me some good answers. 10 pnts at stake.... : ]

Answer 1

yes it is legal and done often.

Answer 2

if the authorized signer/account holder signs the check then yes, you can fill out the name/date/memo, basically anything the account holder could do because they have basically signed that check over to you.  that's why you would only do that with someone you trust.

Answer 3

Yes, it's perfectly legal. Haven't you ever heard the phrase "a blank check"? That's what that means.

You should only give a blank check to someone that you trust completely and also only to someone who you are sure will be *careful* with the check and not lose it. Once your signature is on that check, it could be cashed for any amount by anyone who has it.

Answer 4

It is legal, but not smart and some stores wont accept them. If she were to have lost that check someone could have put there name on it and had a quick couple hundred bucks. Now if her mom signed it and made it out to such and such book store and dated it and everything but the amount then it is a little more secure. Her mother may have also called ahead and talked to a store manager to get the go ahead.