Credit Card Fraud

Law Office of Wais Azami can help defend against charges of credit card fraud in OC or LA.

California Penal Code section 484(e) makes it a crime to steal a credit or debit card, or a party’s credit card or debit card information. This is a wobbler; can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony. This code section is one of many credit card fraud statutes in California.

Credit Card Fraud Defenses:

• You did not intend to defraud,
• You did not steal a credit card, and/or
• You acted out of necessity

Credit Card Fraud Penalties:

As a misdemeanor:

• Up to 6 months County Jail
• Possible immigration consequences
• Possible loss of government aid programs

As a felony:

• 1 Year County Jail, or 16 months, 2 years, 3 years state prison
• Immigration consequences
• Possible loss of government aid programs

484e

(a) Every person who, with intent to defraud, sells, transfers, or conveys, an access card, without the cardholder’s or issuer’s consent, is guilty of grand theft.

(b) Every person, other than the issuer, who within any consecutive 12-month period, acquires access cards issued in the names of four or more persons which he or she has reason to know were taken or retained under circumstances which constitute a violation of subdivision (a), (c), or (d) is guilty of grand theft.

(c) Every person who, with the intent to defraud, acquires or retains possession of an access card without the cardholder’s or issuer’s consent, with intent to use, sell, or transfer it to a person other than the cardholder or issuer is guilty of petty theft.

(d) Every person who acquires or retains possession of access card account information with respect to an access card validly issued to another person, without the cardholder’s or issuer’s consent, with the intent to use it fraudulently, is guilty of grand theft.

(Repealed and added by Stats. 1998, Ch. 468, Sec. 9. Effective January 1, 1999.)

Have you been accused of credit card fraud?

Call Wais Azami at (714) 321-9999. Or schedule a free consultation with our credit card fraud lawyer in Orange County here. We will generate a defense plan which aims to get the charges dismissed, reduced, and/or the consequences mitigated.