{"id":371794,"date":"2016-03-31T21:34:29","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:34:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/california-law\/california-identity-theft-laws.html"},"modified":"2018-03-15T14:26:59","modified_gmt":"2018-03-15T19:26:59","slug":"california-identity-theft-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/california-law\/california-identity-theft-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"California Identity Theft Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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California Identity Theft Laws<\/h1>\n
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Created by FindLaw’s team<\/a> of legal writers and editors<\/i><\/p>\n\n | Last updated\n

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Identity theft often results in stressful, frightening, or even financially-harmful situations. Many pieces of personally identifying information can be used for a defendant’s financial gain or to damage a victim’s reputation and credit history. Preventing identity theft<\/a> should be a high priority for consumers, but there are steps you can take to recover from identity theft<\/a>.<\/p>\n

California prohibits obtaining the personally identifying information of another person with the intention of using that information for an unlawful purpose. A prosecutor must show that the defendant willfully obtained the personally identifying information and used it without the owner’s consent. California law also criminalizes the sale or transfer of another person’s personally identifying information when the defendant had actual knowledge that the information would be used for an unlawful purpose or the defendant had a fraudulent intent when selling or transferring the information.<\/p>\n

Defenses to California Identity Theft Charges<\/h2>\n