Los Angeles Credit Card Fraud Attorneys

(Penal Codes: 484e, 484f, 484g, 484h, 484i and 484j PC)

Any use of someone else’s credit card or the illegal counterfeiting of credit cards is credit card fraud. Sometimes defendants use desktop computer systems to produce realistic-looking credit cards with holograms and functioning magnetic strips. Other people sell lists of stolen credit card numbers, usually via the internet.

Another common practice is to fraudulently obtain credit cards in other people’s names through the mail by recovering credit card applications that were thrown into trash cans. The types of schemes used for credit card fraud are too numerous to list, and open defendants up to all sorts of criminal charges, including Federal prosecution.

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Common Charges

Credit card fraud is a common charge that often begins as a misdemeanor charge and can easily lead to a felony based on the total financial amount of the fraud and the circumstances surrounding your case. You can face hefty fines and jail time, especially if you don’t have the best legal professional behind you. In addition to fees, fines, and penalties, you may also have to pay the cost of restitution to the victims.

Credit Card Fraud Charges In Los Angeles

• Sale of stolen credit cards: selling the information of stolen credit cards whether physically sold or sold online.
• Forging credit card information: forging credit card information by manipulating card numbers or generating a card in a victim’s name.
• Fraudulent credit card usage: this charge involves the unauthorized use of the victim’s card and information.
• Retailer credit card fraud: this crime involves a retail location submitting charges from a fraudulent card, accepting payments from an expired card, etc.
• Credit card counterfeiting: this charge involves the manufacture and printing of fraudulent credit cards.
• Sharing or publishing credit card data: this charge involves sharing and selling credit card data online.

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Additional Possible Related Charges

Some defendants allegedly involved in these activities face charges of conspiracy, bank fraud, identify theft, wire fraud, embezzlement, and grand theft. All of these are serious charges and require a serious defense.

Federal Credit Card Fraud Charges

While every state does in fact carry its own fees, fines, and penalties for Credit Card Fraud, this is a charge that can also carry federal implications.  Federal statutes kick in when the crime involves interstate commerce or commerce to foreign entities. In the case of federal charges, you can easily face a decade in prison as well as fines in the tens of thousands depending on the extent of the fraud.

In addition to state and federal credit card fraud charges, you may face additional charges in the scope of Identity Theft.

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Defenses To Credit Card Fraud

The most common defense to Credit Card Fraud Charges is related to the actual intent of the accused. Did the accused intend on committing fraud? Were you under the impression that you had permission to use the credit card? Did you inadvertently grab a card from a table believing it was yours? Without having the actual intent to use a stolen or fraudulent credit card, there may be a possibility of no credit card fraud charges.

While it may not be common to accidentally use someone else’s card, in a scenario at a gym locker where individuals often leave personal items around as they wash up, someone can easily grab someone else’s keys, credit cards, water, etc., and while not highly likely, it may not be an impossibility.

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First and foremost, you need a white-collar crime attorney in Los Angeles with extensive experience in credit card fraud cases. Ideally, your attorney should have a keen grasp of knowledge on credit card fraud crimes and access to experts in the field.

Second, you need a defense team, not just a single attorney. Your team needs to be thorough, fast, and responsive. The feds almost always have a head start against you in case preparation, so your team needs to catch up quickly to level the playing field.

The best time to get a defense team is when you first learn that you are under investigation. Even if the investigation is centered around someone else, if federal agents are talking to you, you need expert counsel immediately. If charges have not yet been filed, our first goal is to prevent charges from being filed. We have a variety of specific techniques we use to accomplish this.

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If charges are filed against you in federal court, it is critical that you have a defense team, not just an individual lawyer. Your defense team must have extensive trial experience in the federal court system. The federal courts are quite different from state courts not only in their procedures but also in the defense strategies and potential punishments.