Delaware General Assembly


CHAPTER 248

FORMERLY

SENATE BILL NO. 233

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO REENCODER AND SCANNING DEVICES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE :

Section 1. Amend Title 11 of the Delaware Code by inserting therein the following:

Ҥ903A. Reencoder and scanning devices.

(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 computer chip or magnetic strip or stripe of a payment card without the permission of the authorized user of the payment card is guilty of a class D felony.

(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 computer chip or 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 class D felony.

(c) Any scanning device or reencoder described in subsection (e) of this section allegedly possessed or used in violation of subsection (a) or (b) of this section shall be seized and upon conviction shall be forfeited.

(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 computer chip or magnetic strip or stripe of a payment card.

(2) ‘Reencoder’ means an electronic device that places encoded information from the computer chip or magnetic strip or stripe of a payment card onto the computer chip or magnetic strip or stripe of a different payment card or any electronic medium that allows an authorized transaction to occur.

(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.”.

Approved May 25, 2004