For a person to be guilty of an offense of dishonesty under the British 1968 Theft Act, the payee receiving a bad check or credit card must be deceived by the implied or expressed representation so that property or pecuniary advantage is obtained by the check or credit card user. The crucial test, adopted in cases such as R. v. Lamie, is whether the payee would have acted as he did if he had known that the defendant's representation was false. This is a crucial issue in check and credit card overdrafts, because the payee is protected regardless of deception, provided the condition of the contract with the bank or credit company have been met. In such cases, the payee is ensured of eventual payment, so that even knowledge of overdrafts or the exceeding of credit limits may not deter the payee from sealing the transaction. The jury must decide the issue of dishonesty on a subjective basis, although a judge may instruct it to make its decision according to the standards of reasonable and honest people. It is likely that the jury will not vote for conviction unless there is a clear and serious violation of standards of honesty. Fourteen footnotes are provided.