ATLANTA -- A direct mail campaign sweeping across Georgia targets bank customers with an unusual sales pitch.

The bank is actually asking for permission to charge expensive overdraft fees.

A new federal law says if you try to overdraw your account with a debit card, the bank will soon need your permission to penalize you. Getting you to say yes is now a cottage industry.

Michelle Carrol got the sales pitch from chase.

“I did sign up,” Carrol said, “The letter appeared to be an urgency situation to me. The word protection was used.”

So Carroll called to allow Chase Bank to hit her up for $35, three times a day, should her debit card overdraw her account.

Consumer Advisor Clark Howard explains how it works.

“It allows banks to false balance you and tell you you have money when you don’t, to approve transactions when you don’t, just so they can generate overdraft fees,” Howard said.

Howard says you should deny the protection. Then, the bank will deny transactions when you don’t have the money in your account to cover it.

Bowen wishes he could have opted out sooner. Earlier this year, he says he was pumping gas on his debit card when he went over by a drop.

“Literally, I went over two cents. The next day I look at my account. $35, $34.99 charge for two cents," Bowen said.

The letter failed to sway Bowen, but with an estimated $20 billion in overdraft fees at stake, banks are now hiring consultants to help sell you on the fee.

Channel 2 Action News found one consultant on the Web warning, “your fee income will take a substantial hit if you don’t target getting consumers to opt in.”