Vermont Credit and Debit Card Fraud
Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last reviewed June 20, 2016
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Discovering unauthorized transactions charged to your credit or debit card feels like an unsuspecting punch to the gut. Unfortunately, credit and debit card fraud occurs on a daily basis throughout the United States. Vermont credit and debit card fraud laws regulate these type of fraud and financial crimes to protect consumers. This is a quick summary of the credit and debit card fraud laws in Vermont.
Credit and Debit Card Fraud Laws in Vermont
Under Vermont credit and debit card fraud laws, credit cards are defined as any instrument, whether known as a credit card or any other name, that purports to pay for property, labor, services or delinquent taxes. The punishment for the fraudulent use of a credit card to purchase property or services depends on the value of the item obtained. In certain circumstances, a cardholder may be held liable for unauthorized uses of an accepted credit card.
The following table outlines the specifics of Vermont credit and debit card fraud.
| Code Sections | Vermont Statutes Title 9 Chapter 105: Credit Cards |
What's Prohibited? |
Under Vermont credit and debit card fraud laws, it is unlawful to defraud, obtain, or attempt to obtain money, property, services, or any other thing of value, by the use of a credit card which the user knows or should have known to be stolen, forged, revoked, cancelled, unauthorized ,or invalid for use for such purpose. |
Liability |
A provision by a credit card company imposing liability on a cardholder for the unauthorized use of a credit card shall be effective only if the:
|
Penalties |
According to Vermont credit and debit card fraud laws, if the aggregate value of the money, property or services obtained is $50 or less, the punishment may be a fine of up to $500, up to six months in prison, or both,. If the aggregate value of the money, property, or services obtained exceeds $50, the punishment for this crime may be a fine up to $1,000, up to one year in prison, or both. |
If you are a victim of credit card fraud, you can file a complaint with Vermont's Attorney General's office. If you have been accused of violating credit card fraud laws in the Green Mountain State and would like legal assistance, you can contact a Vermont criminal defense lawyer through FindLaw. Visit FindLaw's sections on credit and debit card fraud and other fraud and finance crimes for more articles and information on this topic.
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