California statute
Cal. Penal Code § 502.6
Current through 2025–2026 Regular Session (leginfo weekly dump, 2026-07-12)
Part of Chapter 5: Larceny, California Penal Code.
Full text of Cal. Penal Code § 502.6
Statutory text current through the 2025–2026 Regular Session (leginfo weekly dump, 2026-07-12). This publication reproduces the official statutory text; it is not the official statutes of the State of California.
(a) Any person who knowingly, willfully, and with the intent to defraud, possesses a scanning device, or who knowingly, willfully, and with intent to defraud, uses a scanning device to access, read, obtain, memorize or store, temporarily or permanently, information encoded on the magnetic strip or stripe of a payment card without the permission of the authorized user of the payment card is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a term in a county jail not to exceed one year, or a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both the imprisonment and fine. (b) Any person who knowingly, willfully, and with the intent to defraud, possesses a reencoder, or who knowingly, willfully, and with intent to defraud, uses a reencoder to place encoded information on the magnetic strip or stripe of a payment card or any electronic medium that allows an authorized transaction to occur, without the permission of the authorized user of the payment card from which the information is being reencoded is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a term in a county jail not to exceed one year, or a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both the imprisonment and fine. (c) Any scanning device or reencoder described in subdivision (e) owned by the defendant and possessed or used in violation of subdivision (a) or (b) may be seized and be destroyed as contraband by the sheriff of the county in which the scanning device or reencoder was seized. (d) Any computer, computer system, computer network, or any software or data, owned by the defendant, which is used during the commission of any public offense described in this section or any computer, owned by the defendant, which is used as a repository for the storage of software or data illegally obtained in violation of this section shall be subject to forfeiture. (e) As used in this section, the following definitions apply: (1) “Scanning device” means a scanner, reader, or any other electronic device that is used to access, read, scan, obtain, memorize, or store, temporarily or permanently, information encoded on the magnetic strip or stripe of a payment card. (2) “Reencoder” means an electronic device that places encoded information from the magnetic strip or stripe of a payment card on to the magnetic strip or stripe of a different payment card. (3) “Payment card” means a credit card, debit card, or any other card that is issued to an authorized user and that allows the user to obtain, purchase, or receive goods, services, money, or anything else of value. (f) Nothing in this section shall preclude prosecution under any other provision of law.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.