---
title: "Credit Card Fraud Defense"
url: "https://legal.ge/en/service/crim-criminal-law-en/credit-card-fraud-defense-86-en"
field: "Criminal Law"
description: "Articles 180/286 — card fraud: sanctions from 2 to 4 years, aggravated variants up to 10 years, and defence strategy. Legal.ge."
reviewed: "2026-07-09"
updated: "2026-10-28"
publisher: "legal.ge"
---

# Credit Card Fraud Defense

> Source: legal.ge, https://legal.ge/en/service/crim-criminal-law-en/credit-card-fraud-defense-86-en

## What Card Fraud Means under Georgian Criminal Law

Charges connected with bank and credit cards are examined in Georgia under two norms of the Criminal Code — Article 180 on fraud and Article 286 on interference with computer data or a computer system. Article 180 defines fraud as the appropriation of another's property or the acquisition of a property right by deception, with the intent of unlawful appropriation. In the card context deception often consists in using a card or its data without the holder's consent, or feeding false information to a merchant or a bank.

The computer-interference norm engages where the card-related conduct rests on unauthorised intrusion into a system — unauthorised damage to, deletion, alteration or concealment of data, as well as unauthorised insertion or transmission of data. The correct qualification — fraud or system interference — often decides the fate of the case, because the two norms carry different sanctions.

## The Basic Offence and Its Sanction

Under the first part of Article 180, fraud is punished by a fine, or community service for a term of 170 to 200 hours, or corrective labour for up to 2 years, or house arrest for a term of 1 to 2 years, or imprisonment for a term of 2 to 4 years. The catalogue may not look severe at first glance, but the choice among these sanctions lies within the court's discretion, and the prosecution often builds its position on a graver part of the article.

## Aggravated Variants of the Offence

The same act committed by a group with prior agreement, or causing significant damage, is punished by a fine or imprisonment for a term of 4 to 7 years. The same act committed through abuse of an official position, in large amount, or more than once, is punished by a fine or imprisonment for a term of 6 to 9 years. The gravest variant covers an act committed by an organised group, or by a person previously convicted twice or more for unlawful appropriation of another's property or for extortion — such conduct is punished by imprisonment for a term of 7 to 10 years.

Breaking these parts down matters: prior agreement of a group, official position, large amount and repetition must each be established and proved separately. The prosecution often pushes a self-serving interpretation of the damage assessment, and this is precisely where the defence works — a documented calculation of the damage and verification of the factual basis of every qualifying sign.

## System Interference: Parts and Sanctions

Under the first part of Article 286, unauthorised damage to, deletion, alteration or concealment of computer data is punished by a fine or corrective labour for up to 2 years, or imprisonment for the same term. The second part covers the same conduct, as well as unauthorised insertion or transmission of data that deliberately caused significant disruption of the functioning of a computer system — the sanction here is a fine or corrective labour for up to 2 years, or imprisonment for up to 3 years.

The third part addresses the act committed by a group with prior agreement, through abuse of an official position, repeatedly, or causing significant damage — punished by a fine or corrective labour for up to 2 years, or imprisonment for a term of 3 to 5 years. The fourth part covers interference against a subject of a critical information system and prescribes imprisonment for a term of 4 to 7 years. A legal person is punished for these acts by a fine, deprivation of the right to carry on activity, or liquidation and a fine — a separate risk layer for any business.

## Directions of Defence in Such Cases

Defence in a card-fraud case works along two axes. The first is qualification: it must be established whether the conduct satisfies the elements of these norms at all — whether deception existed, whose card or data it was, whether the intrusion was unauthorised. The second is the chain of evidence: the technical trail of the operations, who performed the conduct and how, and the calculation of damage. Every aggravating sign must be established by the prosecution separately; otherwise the case falls to be re-qualified under a lighter part.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What sanction attaches to basic card fraud?

A fine, community service of 170 to 200 hours, corrective labour for up to 2 years, house arrest for 1 to 2 years, or imprisonment for 2 to 4 years.

### What if the act was committed by a group or caused significant damage?

It is punished by a fine or imprisonment for 4 to 7 years. Large amount, official position and repetition extend the sanction to 6 to 9 years.

### When does the computer-interference norm apply?

When card-related conduct involves unauthorised damage to, deletion, alteration, concealment, insertion or transmission of data — particularly where the functioning of a system was disrupted.

### Can a legal person be punished for these acts?

Yes — for interference with a computer system a legal person is punished by a fine, deprivation of the right to carry on activity, or liquidation and a fine.

## How We Help on Legal.ge

On Legal.ge we defend clients in card-fraud and system-interference cases: we analyse the qualification, check the damage calculation and build the defence against every aggravating sign. Contact us — we will assess the charges and prepare a strategy within the precise boundaries of these norms of the Criminal Code.

### What is fraud in the card context?

Appropriation of another's property or acquisition of a property right by deception, including operations with another's card or its data.

### What is the sanction for the basic offence?

A fine, community service of 170 to 200 hours, corrective labour up to 2 years, house arrest 1 to 2 years, or imprisonment 2 to 4 years.

### Which signs aggravate the act?

A group with prior agreement, significant damage, official position, large amount, repetition and an organised group — each must be proved separately.

### What about critical systems?

Interference against a subject of a critical information system is punished by imprisonment for 4 to 7 years.