A state law aimed at curbing credit card fraud that unanimously passed the Pennsylvania House and Senate this summer has now gone into effect.
Act 60 – which criminalizes and establishes stiff penalties for thieves using tools to steal others’
credit card information – was signed by Gov. Tom Wolf on June 28. Under the law, anyone
convicted of using or possessing a scanning or skimming device now faces a third-degree
felony for a first offense and a second-degree felony for a second or subsequent offense.
“The goal of the anti-credit card skimming law was always to protect businesses and consumers
in Pennsylvania from unscrupulous thieves trying to separate people from their hard-earned
money,” PFMA President & CEO Alex Baloga said. “It was made law thanks to the hard work
and support of many businesses and elected officials, notably the legislation’s sponsor, state
Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill.”
Credit card fraud is one of retailers’ worst nightmares, costing a collective $580.6 million in
losses and $6.47 billion in prevention costs. Although card holders are generally protected from
liability when a fraudulent crime happens, it still costs a significant amount of time, stress, and
fees in filing suspicious activity reports with banks credit card companies, and credit reporting
agencies.
“The law was one of PFMA’s top legislative priorities in 2018, and we are excited to see it go
into effect and start cutting down on fraud in Pennsylvania,” Baloga said.
With the law, Pennsylvania joins 30 other states that have enacted similar legislation.
