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18 Pa.C.S. § 4121

Possession and use of unlawful devices

Known as the Crimes Code

The act spans §§ 18–18 (603 sections).

(June 28, 2018, P.L.425, No.60, eff. 60 days)

(a) Offense defined.--A person commits an offense if:

(1) The person, with the intent to defraud another person:

(i) uses a device to access, read, obtain, memorize or store, temporarily or permanently, information encoded on the computer chip, magnetic strip or stripe or other storage mechanism of a payment card or possesses a device capable of doing so; or

(ii) places information encoded on the computer chip, magnetic strip or stripe or other storage mechanism of a payment card onto the computer chip, magnetic strip or stripe or other storage mechanism of a different card or possesses a device capable of doing so.

(2) The person knowingly possesses, sells or delivers a device which is designed to read and store in the device's internal memory information encoded on a computer chip, magnetic strip or stripe or other storage mechanism of a payment card other than for the purpose of processing the information to facilitate a financial transaction.

(b) Grading.--

(1) A first offense under subsection (a) constitutes a felony of the third degree.

(2) A second or subsequent offense under subsection (a) constitutes a felony of the second degree.

(c) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Payment card." A credit card, a charge card, a debit card or another card which is issued to an authorized card user to purchase or obtain goods, services, money or another thing of value.

Official source: Pennsylvania General Assembly. Reproduced from public-domain Pennsylvania statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.