It depends. Unauthorized use of a credit card is generally a misdemeanor crime in Muskogee, Oklahoma. However, the crime can sometimes be charged as a felony.
If you collect someone’s credit card and make purchases in excess of $1,000, you most likely will be charged with a felony.
Also, if the fraudulent activity involves taking property or money regularly, the crimes could be aggregated. Thus, felony charges would be laid against you.
Unauthorized Use of a Credit Card Penalties
If you are convicted of felony unauthorized use of a credit card, you face up to seven years in prison and up to a $3,000 fine.
A person is charged with misdemeanor credit card fraud if the amounts involved are less than $1,000. When convicted of such a crime, a person could face up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
Sometimes, merely possessing someone else’s credit cards without that person’s authorization can result in felony charges.
However, the crime that attracts charges most often is not mere possession — but the unauthorized use of a credit card without possession.
If the amount of money you attempt to defraud someone after taking their credit card is high, you most likely will face felony charges.
What is Credit Card Theft in Oklahoma?
You will be considered to have stolen a credit or debit card if you take it from the cardholder without his or her consent. When you intend to use or sell a credit card, knowing that it has been taken unlawfully from the owner, you have committed credit card fraud. Obtaining a card by any manner of pretense, embezzlement, or any other type of crime constitutes credit card theft in Oklahoma.
According to Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 1550.22, possessing a stolen debit or credit card is considered theft.
Even just collecting someone’s debit or credit card and putting it in your pocket could attract severe consequences in Oklahoma. The grave consequences may be irrespective of what your intentions were when you placed the card in your pocket.
Forging Credit or Debit Cards in Oklahoma
The false making or creation of a credit or debit card in Oklahoma is also defined as embossing. It is defined under the law as creating an instrument or device which is falsely supposed to be viewed as a credit or debit card with the express intention of defrauding others.
Low-cost Consultation: Muskogee Criminal Defense Attorney
Oklahoma courts treat credit card crimes harshly. Speaking to an experienced and knowledgeable Muskogee criminal defense lawyer will help you be aware of the defenses you can take if you are charged with credit card fraud. Possible defenses include permission, mistake, and lack of intent.
Only experienced criminal defense attorneys in Muskogee can work hard to build a strong argument for you. What may look like insignificant issues to an inexperienced attorney may ultimately determine the outcome of your case.
Our Muskogee attorneys know how to find and present in court the details that can have a remarkable effect on the outcome of criminal charges.
Call us today at 918-884-7774 for a low-cost consultation.