Bill > H6212

This bill expands and clarifies legal protections related to gift cards by establishing comprehensive definitions and creating specific criminal penalties for gift card fraud. The legislation defines key terms like "cardholder," "closed-loop gift card," and "open-loop gift card," and establishes criminal penalties for unauthorized gift card activities. Specifically, the bill makes it a crime to acquire or retain possession of a gift card or its redemption information without consent, with penalties varying based on the value of the fraudulent transaction. For gift card fraud involving less than $1,500, offenders can be fined up to $1,000 and/or imprisoned for up to one year, while fraud exceeding $1,500 will be treated as larceny with more severe penalties. The bill also criminalizes altering or tampering with gift cards and using fraudulently obtained gift card information to obtain money, goods, or services. By treating gift card fraud with the same seriousness as traditional theft, the legislation aims to protect consumers and merchants from increasingly sophisticated financial fraud schemes involving gift cards.

Justice

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