Even first-time credit fraud offenders are subject to stiff penalties and fines.
Credit card fraud penalties are in place to deter individuals from committing crimes that may hurt people or institutions financially. Monitor your credit lines consistently to avoid becoming a victim of prolonged credit card fraud and understand that there are legal options available in Pennsylvania to pursue fraud suspects.
Prison Sentencing
Potential prison sentences depend upon the severity of violations in a credit card fraud case. If you knowingly use another individual's credit card in Pennsylvania to accrue unauthorized expenditures of $1,000 or more, sell the individual's data to a third party without permission for financial gain or charge unauthorized expenditures more than once regardless of monetary amount, you can be sentenced to prison for up to 10 years. If this is your second conviction for credit card fraud or you committed credit card crimes while you awaited trial for previous fraud allegations, you may be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Return of Property
Any property or items obtained with your fraudulent credit must be promptly returned to the original seller, whether you bought the items in Pennsylvania or not. If the property is no longer in your possession, you must repay the original seller for the items. Additionally, the court will attempt to reimburse any individual who lost money due to your alleged crimes.
Theft Deterance
The state of Pennsylvania, acting under the United States Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, may pursue criminal charges against you if the state has reasonable evidence suggesting you sought to pursue Social Security numbers, credit card PINs, credit card numbers or physical credit numbers without permission. If you are found guilty in a Pennsylvania, you may be subject to fines, criminal forfeiture of property and up to 30 years imprisonment.
