Fort Lauderdale credit card fraud lawyer for people arrested or accused of credit card fraud in Florida.
Under Florida law Fraudulent use of credit cards is a serious matter. “A person who, with intent to defraud the issuer or a person or organization providing money, goods, services, or anything else of value or any other person, uses, for the purpose of obtaining money, goods, services, or anything else of value, a credit card obtained or retained in violation of this part or a credit card which he or she knows is forged, or who obtains money, goods, services, or anything else of value by representing, without the consent of the cardholder, that he or she is the holder of a specified card or by representing that he or she is the holder of a card and such card has not in fact been issued violates this section. A person who, in any 6-month period, uses a credit card in violation of this section two or fewer times, or obtains money, goods, services, or anything else in violation of this section the value of which is less than $100, is subject to the penalties set forth in s. 817.67(1). A person who, in any 6-month period, uses a credit card in violation of this section more than two times, or obtains money, goods, services, or anything else in violation of this section the value of which is $100 or more, is subject to more severe penalties.
817.60 Theft; obtaining credit card through fraudulent means.—
(1) THEFT BY TAKING OR RETAINING POSSESSION OF CARD TAKEN.—A person who takes a credit card from the person, possession, custody, or control of another without the cardholder’s consent or who, with knowledge that it has been so taken, receives the credit card with intent to use it, to sell it, or to transfer it to a person other than the issuer or the cardholder is guilty of credit card theft and is subject to the penalties set forth in s. 817.67(1). Taking a credit card without consent includes obtaining it by conduct defined or known as statutory larceny, common-law larceny by trespassory taking, common-law larceny by trick or embezzlement or obtaining property by false pretense, false promise or extortion.
(2) THEFT OF CREDIT CARD LOST, MISLAID, OR DELIVERED BY MISTAKE.—A person who receives a credit card that he or she knows to have been lost, mislaid, or delivered under a mistake as to the identity or address of the cardholder and who retains possession with intent to use it, to sell it, or to transfer it to a person other than the issuer or the cardholder is guilty of credit card theft and is subject to the penalties set forth in s. 817.67(1).
(3) PURCHASE OR SALE OF CREDIT CARD OF ANOTHER.—A person other than the issuer who sells a credit card or a person who buys a credit card from a person other than the issuer violates this subsection and is subject to the penalties set forth in s. 817.67(1).
(4) OBTAINING CONTROL OF CREDIT CARD AS SECURITY FOR DEBT.—A person who, with intent to defraud the issuer, a person or organization providing money, goods, services, or anything else of value, or any other person, obtains control over a credit card as security for a debt violates this subsection and is subject to the penalties set forth in s. 817.67(1).
(5) DEALING IN CREDIT CARDS OF ANOTHER.—A person other than the issuer who, during any 12-month period, receives two or more credit cards issued in the name or names of different cardholders, which cards he or she has reason to know were taken or retained under circumstances which constitute credit card theft or a violation of this part, violates this subsection and is subject to the penalties set forth in s. 817.67(2).
(6) FORGERY OF CREDIT CARD.—
(a) A person who, with intent to defraud a purported issuer or a person or organization providing money, goods, services, or anything else of value or any other person, falsely makes, falsely embosses, or falsely alters in any manner a credit card or utters such a credit card or who, with intent to defraud, has a counterfeit credit card or any invoice, voucher, sales draft, or other representation or manifestation of a counterfeit credit card in his or her possession, custody, or control is guilty of credit card forgery and is subject to the penalties set forth in s. 817.67(2).
(b) A person other than an authorized manufacturer or issuer who possesses two or more counterfeit credit cards is presumed to have violated this subsection.
(c) A person falsely makes a credit card when he or she makes or draws in whole or in part a device or instrument which purports to be the credit card of a named issuer but which is not such a credit card because the issuer did not authorize the making or drawing or when he or she alters a credit card which was validly issued.
(d) A person falsely embosses a credit card when, without the authorization of the named issuer, he or she completes a credit card by adding any of the matter, other than the signature of the cardholder, which an issuer requires to appear on the credit card before it can be used by a cardholder.
(7) SIGNING CREDIT CARD OF ANOTHER.—A person other than the cardholder or a person authorized by him or her who, with intent to defraud the issuer or a person or organization providing money, goods, services, or anything else of value or any other person, signs a credit card violates this subsection and is subject to the penalties set forth in s. 817.67(1).
(8) UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A STOLEN CREDIT OR DEBIT CARD.—A person who knowingly possesses, receives, or retains custody of a credit or debit card that has been taken from the possession, custody, or control of another without the cardholder’s consent and with the intent to impede the recovery of the credit or debit card by the cardholder commits unlawful possession of a stolen credit or debit card and is subject to the penalties set forth in s. 817.67(2). It is not a violation of this subsection for a retailer or retail employee, in the ordinary course of business, to possess, receive, or return a credit card or debit card that the retailer or retail employee does not know was stolen or to possess, receive, or retain a credit card or debit card that the retailer or retail employee knows is stolen for the purpose of an investigation.
If you are accused of credit card fraud speak to a Florida credit card fraud criminal defense attorney.