RA 8484 Overview

RA 8484 Overview

Key Provisions and Implications

Implications for Individuals and Businesses

Consumers are advised to handle access devices and personal information with caution to prevent falling victim to fraudulent schemes. Victims have legal recourse and should report violations to law enforcement.

Definition of Access Devices

• RA 8484 broadly defines access devices as any card, plate, code, account number, or other means of account access that can be used to obtain money, goods, services, or any other thing of value or to initiate a transfer of funds.

For Businesses

Businesses, especially those in e-commerce, must ensure secure payment systems to prevent unauthorized access. Compliance with RA 8484 is crucial for business integrity and consumer trust.

(c) a fine of Ten thousand pesos (P10,000.00) or twice the value obtained by the offense, or imprisonment for not less than twelve (12) years and not more than twenty (20) years, or both, in the case of any offense under Section 9, which occurs after a conviction for another offense under said subsection, or an attempt to commit the same

Prohibited Acts

(a) producing, using, trafficking in one or more counterfeit access devices;

(b) trafficking in one or more unauthorized access devices or access devices fraudulently applied for;

(c) using, with intent to defraud, an unauthorized access device;

(d) using an access device fraudulently applied for;

Section 12. Frustrated and attempted access device fraud

• Any person who performs all the acts of execution which would produce any of the unlawful acts enumerated in Section 9 of this Act, but which nevertheless does not produce it by reason of causes independent of the will of said person, shall be punished with two-thirds (2/3) of the fine and imprisonment provided for the consummated offenses listed in said section.

Any person who commences the commission of any of the unlawful acts enumerated in Section 9 of this Act directly by overt acts and does not perform all the acts of execution which would produce the said acts by reason of some cause or accident other than said person's own spontaneous desistance, shall be punished with one-half (1/2) of the fine and imprisonment provided for the consummated offenses listed in the said section..

Penalties. – Any person committing any of the acts constituting access device fraud enumerated in the immediately preceding section shall be punished with:

(a) a fine of Ten thousand pesos (P10,000.00) or twice the value obtained by the offense, whichever is greater and imprisonment for not less than six (6) years and not more than ten (10) years, in the case of an offense under Section 9 (b)-(e), and (g)-(p) which does not occur after a conviction for another offense under Section 9;

(h) multiple imprinting on more than one transaction record, sales slip or similar document, thereby making it appear that the device holder has entered into a transaction other than those which said device holder had lawfully contracted for, or submitting, without being an affiliated merchant, an order to collect from the issuer of the access device, such extra sales slip through an affiliated merchant who connives therewith, or, under false pretenses of being an affiliated merchant, present for collection such sales slips, and similar documents;

(i) disclosing any information imprinted on the access device, such as, but not limited to, the account number or name or address of the device holder, without the latter's authority or permission;

(e) possessing one or more counterfeit access devices or access devices fraudulently applied for;

(f) producing, trafficking in, having control or custody of, or possessing device-making or altering equipment without being in the business or employment, which lawfully deals with the manufacture, issuance, or distribution of such equipment;

(g) inducing, enticing, permitting or in any manner allowing another, for consideration or otherwise to produce, use, traffic in counterfeit access devices, unauthorized access devices or access devices fraudulently applied for;

(j) obtaining money or anything of value through the use of an access device, with intent to defraud or with intent to gain and fleeing thereafter;

(k) having in one's possession, without authority from the owner of the access device or the access device company, an access device, or any material, such as slips, carbon paper, or any other medium, on which the access device is written, printed, embossed, or otherwise indicated;

(l) writing or causing to be written on sales slips, approval numbers from the issuer of the access device of the fact of approval, where in fact no such approval was given, or where, if given, what is written is deliberately different from the approval actually given;

(m) making any alteration, without the access device holder's authority, of any amount or other information written on the sales slip;

(n) effecting transaction, with one or more access devices issued to another person or persons, to receive payment or any other thing of value;

(o) without the authorization of the issuer of the access device, soliciting a person for the purpose of:

1) offering an access device; or

2) selling information regarding or an application to obtain an access device; or

(p) without the authorization of the credit card system member or its agent, causing or arranging for another person to present to the member or its agent, for payment, one or more evidence or records of transactions made by credit card