Theft Crimes
Penalties for Credit Card Fraud in Colorado
Being involved in credit card fraud is never something a person wants to go through. It not only can ruin a person’s credit but also lead to serious financial consequences. In general, credit card fraud includes illegally obtaining someone else’s information, using one’s own card knowing that it is either revoked or lacks the necessary amount of money to cover the charges made on it, or knowingly using an illegally obtained card without authorization to sell something to someone else. Because credit card fraud involves using another person’s information to commit a crime, it is considered a form of identity theft.
Penalties for Colorado Theft Crimes
Penalties for a theft depend on the value of what you’ve been accused of stealing. The worth of the object in question will lead to a petty, misdemeanor, or felony theft offense. A theft crime happens anytime someone illegally obtains (by taking, taking by a threat, or taking by deception) anything of value from the item’s owner. This means a theft charge can arise from purse snatching, returning fraudulent items to a store, or conning someone out of their money.
Police: Property Crime Up 25 Percent in Colorado Springs Area
According to a recent article in the Colorado Springs Gazette, rates of property crimes, such as burglary, increased by 25 percent in the first quarter of 2013 when compared to the first quarter of 2012. Motor vehicle thefts increased 70 percent in the first quarter of 2013 when compared to 2012.
The Colorado Springs police force is responding to these increases in several ways. One of the most prominent involves the creation of a Motor Vehicle Theft Task Force (MVT Task Force) to address motor vehicle thefts specifically. The task force includes a sergeant and three officers, and it partners with other agencies to use technology like license plate readers and other resources to track down vehicles believed to be stolen, according to the agency.