Credit card fraud is a crime that significantly affects its victims, and the associated penalties can be severe. If you have been arrested for credit card fraud in Georgia, continue reading and reach out to an experienced Cobb County criminal lawyer for more information and legal advice.
What is Credit Card Fraud?
Credit card fraud is a serious offense that involves the illegal use of credit cards for financial gain. In Georgia, this crime is broad and includes a variety of actions. As outlined in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 16-9-33, financial transaction card fraud is defined as the following.
- Using for the purpose of obtaining money, goods, services, or anything else of value, a financial transaction card with knowledge that it was obtained or retained in violation of Code Section 16-9-31 or 16-9-32, a financial transaction card which he or she knows is forged, altered, expired, revoked, or was obtained as a result of a fraudulent application, or the account number of a financial transaction card which he or she knows has not been issued or is forged, altered, expired, revoked, or was obtained as a result of a fraudulent application
- Obtaining 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, presenting the financial transaction card without the authorization or permission of the cardholder or issuer, falsely representing that he or she is the holder of a card and such card has not been issued, or giving a financial transaction card account number to the provider of the money, goods, services, or other thing of value for billing purposes without the authorization of the cardholder or issuer
- Obtaining control over a financial transaction card as security for debt
- Depositing into his or her account or any account by means of an automated banking device a false, fictitious, forged, altered, or counterfeit check, draft, money order, or any other such document
- Receiving money, goods, services, or anything else of value as a result of a false, fictitious, forged, altered, or counterfeit check, draft, money order, or any other such document having been deposited into an account via an automated banking device, knowing that the document deposited was false, fictitious, forged, altered, or counterfeit or that the above-deposited item was not his lawful or legal property
What Are the Penalties for Credit Card Fraud in Georgia?
The penalties associated with a conviction of financial transaction card fraud will vary depending on the specific circumstances of the situation, most notably the value of the goods or services involved.
If the value of goods involved in the offense does not exceed $100 in a six-month period, the crime is punishable by up to $1,000 in fines and up to 2 years in prison.
If the value of goods involved in the offense exceeds $100 in a six-month period, the crime is a felony offense punishable by up to $5,000 in fines and up to 3 years in prison.
If you are facing criminal charges for credit card fraud, work with a skilled defense attorney at Williamson Legal.
