Us Code § 1644 - Fraudulent use of credit cards; penalties
Full text of Us Code United States Code § 1644 — Fraudulent use of credit cards; penalties, with citation guidance and answers to common questions.
§ 1644. Fraudulent use of credit cards; penalties
(a) Use, attempt or conspiracy to use card in transaction affecting interstate or foreign commerce
Whoever knowingly in a transaction affecting interstate or foreign commerce, uses or attempts or conspires to use any counterfeit, fictitious, altered, forged, lost, stolen, or fraudulently obtained credit card to obtain money, goods, services, or anything else of value which within any one-year period has a value aggregating $1,000 or more; or
(b) Transporting, attempting or conspiring to transport card in interstate commerce
Whoever, with unlawful or fraudulent intent, transports or attempts or conspires to transport in interstate or foreign commerce a counterfeit, fictitious, altered, forged, lost, stolen, or fraudulently obtained credit card knowing the same to be counterfeit, fictitious, altered, forged, lost, stolen, or fraudulently obtained; or
(c) Use of interstate commerce to sell or transport card
Whoever, with unlawful or fraudulent intent, uses any instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce to sell or transport a counterfeit, fictitious, altered, forged, lost, stolen, or fraudulently obtained credit card knowing the same to be counterfeit, fictitious, altered, forged, lost, stolen, or fraudulently obtained; or
(d) Receipt, concealment, etc., of goods obtained by use of card
Whoever knowingly receives, conceals, uses, or transports money, goods, services, or anything else of value (except tickets for interstate or foreign transportation) which (1) within any one-year period has a value aggregating $1,000 or more, (2) has moved in or is part of, or which constitutes interstate or foreign commerce, and (3) has been obtained with a counterfeit, fictitious, altered, forged, lost, stolen, or fraudulently obtained credit card; or
(e) Receipt, concealment, etc., of tickets for interstate or foreign transportation obtained by use of card
Whoever knowingly receives, conceals, uses, sells, or transports in interstate or foreign commerce one or more tickets for interstate or foreign transportation, which (1) within any one-year period have a value aggregating $500 or more, and (2) have been purchased or obtained with one or more counterfeit, fictitious, altered, forged, lost, stolen, or fraudulently obtained credit cards; or
(f) Furnishing of money, etc., through use of card
Whoever in a transaction affecting interstate or foreign commerce furnishes money, property, services, or anything else of value, which within any one-year period has a value aggregating $1,000 or more, through the use of any counterfeit, fictitious, altered, forged, lost, stolen, or fraudulently obtained credit card knowing the same to be counterfeit, fictitious, altered, forged, lost, stolen, or fraudulently obtained—
shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
(Pub. L. 90–321, title I, §134, as added Pub. L. 91–508, title V, §502(a), Oct. 26, 1970, 84 Stat. 1127; amended Pub. L. 93–495, title IV, §414, Oct. 28, 1974, 88 Stat. 1520.)
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1974—Pub. L. 93–495 generally reorganized provisions by designating former unlettered paragraph cls. (a) to (f), and as so designated, expanded prohibitions relating to fraudulent use of credit cards, decreased amount required for fraudulent use from a retail value aggregating $5,000, or more, to enumerated amounts for particular activities, and increased the punishment from a sentence of not more than five years to a sentence of not more than ten years.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 1974 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 93–495 effective Oct. 28, 1974, see section 416 of Pub. L. 93–495, set out as an Effective Date note under section 1665a of this title.
Effective Date
Pub. L. 91–508, title V, §503(3), Oct. 26, 1970, 84 Stat. 1127, provided that: "Section 134 of such Act [this section] applies to offenses committed on or after such date of enactment [Oct. 26, 1970]."
About This Section
15 U.S.C. § 1644 is part of Title 15 of the United States Code. The United States Code is the official codification of federal statutes maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congress amends the Code through new public laws, which are eventually incorporated into the relevant title.
This section may be cited in legal writing as 15 U.S.C. § 1644. For the most current official text, including any recent amendments, use the official source links below. Do not rely on this page as the sole authority for legal citation or litigation.
How to Read This Statute
Statutes are organized by title, chapter, section, and subsection. Pay attention to words like "shall," "may," "and," and "or," because they determine whether a requirement is mandatory or permissive and whether multiple conditions must all be met. Historical notes and amendments often appear at the end of a section.
Using This Page
This page is intended for research and educational use. Lawyers, students, journalists, and compliance professionals can use it as a starting point, but should always verify the current text through an official government source before relying on it for legal advice, filings, or compliance decisions.