NCJ Number
190759
Date Published
March 2000
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This paper addressed the role of substantive criminal law in combating credit card crime and the legal structures within the United States and Canada offering legal proscriptions and procedures for countering credit card crime.
Abstract
Due to modern technology, a large percentage of financial transactions around the world involve credit cards and other types of information-carrying cards to obtain goods and services. The economy of any country relying on the use of such cards must have an effective legal structure to deter abuse. This paper presented at the UNAFEI, 1998, 110th International Training on “Effective Countermeasures Against Economic Crime and Computer Crime” addressed the need for enacting effective criminal laws in combating credit card crime. The paper examined the essential elements of a criminal law to prevent crime involving credit cards. With the global and universal problems associated with credit card crime, there are common features in an effective set of criminal offenses and procedures necessary for a coordinated international approach that includes: (1) defining “credit card”; (2) proscribing offenses; (3) jurisdictional issues; (4) evidentiary matters; and (5) procedural matters. This paper attempted to discern what laws are needed to combat existing modes of credit card crime. The challenges expected in the future are to keep pace with current and future developments and ensure that similar laws exist in all countries to avoid exploitation of differences.