Florida Statute 817.481 - Full Text and Legal Analysis

The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title XLVI
CRIMES

Chapter 817
FRAUDULENT PRACTICES

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817.481 Credit or purchases; obtaining illicitly.—

(1) It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to obtain or attempt to obtain credit, or to purchase or attempt to purchase any goods, property, or service, by the use of any false, fictitious, counterfeit, or expired credit card, telephone number, credit number, or other credit device, or by the use of any credit card, telephone number, credit number, or other credit device of another person without the authority of the person to whom such card, number, or device was issued, or by the use of any credit card, telephone number, credit number, or other credit device in any case where such card, number, or device has been revoked and notice of revocation has been given to the person to whom issued.

(2) It shall be unlawful for any person to avoid or attempt to avoid or to cause another to avoid payment of the lawful charges, in whole or in part, for any telephone or telegraph service or for the transmission of a message, signal or other communication by telephone or telegraph or over telephone or telegraph facilities by the use of any fraudulent scheme, means or method, or any mechanical, electric, or electronic device.

(3)(a) If the value of the property, goods, or services obtained or which are sought to be obtained in violation of this section is $300 or more, the offender shall be guilty of grand larceny.

(b) If the value of the property, goods, or services obtained or which are sought to be obtained in violation of this section is less than $300 the offender shall be guilty of petit larceny.

History.—ss. 1, 2, 3, ch. 61-83; s. 1, ch. 65-245; s. 1, ch. 65-128; s. 873, ch. 71-136; s. 4, ch. 86-161; s. 15, ch. 2015-166.

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Amendments to 817.481

Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Arrestable Offenses / Crimes under Fla. Stat. 817.481

Level: Degree
Misdemeanor/Felony: First/Second/Third

S817.481 1 - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - RENUMBERED. SEE REC # 9445 - M: S

S817.481 1 - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - RENUMBERED. SEE REC # 9444 - F: T

S817.481 2 - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - RENUMBERED. SEE REC # 9447 - M: S

S817.481 2 - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - RENUMBERED. SEE REC # 9446 - F: T

S817.481 3 - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - RENUMBERED. SEE REC # 9792 - F: T

S817.481 3 - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - RENUMBERED. SEE REC # 9793 - M: S

S817.481 3 - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - RENUMBERED. SEE REC # 9794 - F: T

S817.481 3 - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - RENUMBERED. SEE REC # 9795 - M: S

S817.481 3a - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - RENUMBERED. SEE REC # 10375 - M: S

S817.481 3a - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - UNAUTH USE CREDIT CARD TO OBTAIN GOODS $300+ - F: T

S817.481 3a - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - AVOID/ATTEMPT AVOID PAYMENT PHONE $300+ - F: T

S817.481 3b - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - UNAUTH USE CREDIT CARD TO OBTAIN GOODS LT $300 - M: S

S817.481 3b - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - AVOID/ATTEMPT AVOID PAYMENT PHONE LT $300 - M: S

S817.481 3b - FRAUD-ILLEG USE CREDIT CARDS - RENUMBERED. SEE REC # 10376 - F: T

Cases Citing Statute 817.481

Total Results: 9 | Sort by: Relevance | Newest First

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McConnell v. State, 298 So. 2d 550 (Fla. 2d DCA 1974).

Cited 4 times | Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal

...other provision of the criminal law of the state unless such provision is inconsistent with the terms of the Act. However, in Lore v. State, Fla.App.4th, 1972, 267 So.2d 699, our sister court held that a defendant who was charged and convicted under § 817.481, F.S.A....

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Collins v. State, 626 So. 2d 991 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1993).

Cited 1 times | Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 1993 Fla. App. LEXIS 10656, 1993 WL 417571

§§ 817.60(1), 817.67(1), Fla.Stat. (1991). . § 817.481, Fla.Stat. (1991). . § 812.014(l)(a)(b), (2)(c)(l)

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Sanchez v. State, 124 So. 3d 406 (Fla. 2d DCA 2013).

Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2013 WL 5762983, 2013 Fla. App. LEXIS 17052

was actually a second-degree misdemeanor. See § 817.481(3)(b), Fla. Stat. (2010); § 812.014(3)(a), Fla

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Lore v. State, 267 So. 2d 699 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1972).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 1972 Fla. App. LEXIS 6194

REED, Chief Judge. The appellant, Angelo Lore, Jr., was charged by three separate informations filed in the Circuit Court for Indian River County, Florida, with obtaining credit by the unauthorized use of a credit card in violation of Section 817.481, F.S.1969, F.S.A....

...The defendant’s appeals from each of these sentences have been consolidated for treatment in this court. The burden of appellant’s argument — as we understand it — is that Section 817.-62(2), F.S.1969, F.S.A., which is a part of the State Credit Card Crime Act of 1967 repealed by implication Section 817.481, F....

...The receipts were later mailed to Gulf Oil Company and the latter extended credit on the basis thereof. The statute under which defendant was charged was enacted in 1961 and provides a broad proscription against unauthorized uses of credit cards. To the extent pertinent, the statute provides: “817.481....

...See Section 817.-481 (3) (a) and compare Section 817.67, F. S.1969, F.S.A. Because of this inconsistency, we hold that the penalty provisions which pertain to a violation of Section 817.62(2), F.S.1969, F.S.A., superseded the penalty provisions of Section 817.481, F.S....

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State v. Fagan, 857 So. 2d 320 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003).

Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2003 Fla. App. LEXIS 15214, 2003 WL 22316859

...g *321 ment of acquittal after a jury found her guilty of one count of identity theft pursuant to subsections (l)(f) and (2) of section 817.568, Florida Statutes (2000), and three counts of credit card fraud pursuant to subsections (1) and (3)(a) of section 817.481....

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Michutka v. State, 478 So. 2d 868 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1985).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 10 Fla. L. Weekly 2571, 1985 Fla. App. LEXIS 6136

WIGGINTON, Judge. Appellant appeals his convictions after trial by jury of defrauding an innkeeper, in violation of section 509.151, Florida Statutes, and grand larceny by use of a credit card in violation of section 817.481, Florida Statutes....

...ense” and a person cannot be put into jeopardy as to both such offenses unless the two offenses are based on two separate and distinct factual elements. Each of the two counts charged contains elements not included in the other count. For example, section 817.481 requires proof of improper use of a credit card, whereas section 509.151 has no such requirement. Section 509.151 requires a showing that the defendant obtained food, lodging or other accommodations from a public food service or public lodging establishment with the intent to defraud, whereas section 817.481 has no requirement that an “innkeeper” be defrauded. Thus, section 817.481 applies to any type of crime in which one obtains credit or goods through improper use of a credit card, and section 509.151 applies to any situation in which a person obtains food, et cetera, from an “innkeeper” with intent to defraud even without the use of a credit card....

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Caputo v. State, 173 So. 2d 745 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1965).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 1965 Fla. App. LEXIS 4496

PER CURIAM. Appellant and a co-defendant were charged in two informations with the crimes of forgery, uttering a forged instrument, and unlawful use of credit cards in violation of § 817.481, Fla.Stat, F.S.A....

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Richardson v. State, 193 So. 2d 637 (Fla. 3d DCA 1967).

Published | Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal | 1967 Fla. App. LEXIS 5173

larceny by unlawful use of a credit card under § 817.481, Fla.Stat., F.S.A., since-there was no evidence

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State v. Weir, 488 So. 2d 557 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1986).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 11 Fla. L. Weekly 912, 1986 Fla. App. LEXIS 7280

...This is an appeal from an order dismissing a forgery charge. The trial court ruled “that the forgery provisions of section 831.-01, Florida Statutes, as they pertain to the allegations in the Information filed in this case, are and have been superseded by section 817.481, Florida Statutes, and Part II Chapter 817, Florida Statutes.” We disagree and reverse....

...State 377 So.2d 663 (Fla. *558 1979); Fayerweather v. State, 332 So.2d 21 (Fla.1976); Smith v. State, 383 So.2d 959 (Fla.4th DCA 1980); State v. Harris, 334 So.2d 674 (Fla.2d DCA 1976). Beyond that, one can violate section 831.01 without violating section 817.481 or Part II Chapter 817, and vice versa....

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