The “new law” reduced the two crimes of seizure and forgery into one article

Imprisonment and a fine of two million dirhams, a penalty for forgery and embezzlement of bank data

The new Cybercrime Law, issued by Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021, in the matter of combating rumors and cybercrime, merged two articles in the previous law related to the seizure and forgery of card and bank account data, into one article, aggravating the penalty for seizure to equal the penalty for forgery, and up to Imprisonment and a fine of no less than 200 thousand dirhams, and not more than two million dirhams.

In detail, the previous Law No. 5 of 2012 regarding combating information technology crimes, in its Article No. 12, stipulates that a penalty of imprisonment and a fine or one of these two penalties shall be imposed on anyone who unlawfully accesses through the use of the information network, an electronic information system, or any other technical means. Information, to credit or electronic card numbers or data, bank account numbers or data, or any electronic payment method.

The penalty shall be imprisonment for a period of no less than six months, and a fine of no less than 100,000 dirhams, and not more than 300,000 dirhams, or either of these two penalties, if it is intended to use data and numbers to obtain the funds of others, or to benefit from the services it provides.

If he leads to the appropriation for himself or for others of money owned by others, he shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of no less than one year and a fine of no less than 200,000 dirhams, and not in excess of one million dirhams, or one of these two penalties.

Whoever publishes or republishes credit or electronic card numbers or data, bank account numbers or data belonging to others or any other electronic payment method shall be punished with the same penalty stipulated in the previous paragraph.

Article No. 13 of the same law deals with the penalty for forgery, and stipulates that a penalty of imprisonment and a fine of no less than 500,000 dirhams and not more than two million dirhams, or one of these two penalties, shall be imposed on anyone who forges, imitates or copies a credit card, or any other means of Electronic payment, using one of the means of information technology, or information program.

The same penalty shall be imposed on anyone who manufactures or designs any means of information technology, or information program, with the intention of facilitating any of the actions stipulated in the first paragraph of this article.

Anyone who uses, without authorization, a credit or electronic card, or any other means of electronic payment, with the intention of obtaining for himself or for others, money or property of others, or benefiting from the services offered by others.

Anyone who accepts dealing with these counterfeit, forged or copied cards or other electronic payment methods, knowing that they are illegal.

On the other hand, the new law regarding combating rumors and cybercrime, which will be effective starting from the second of next January, reduced the two previous articles into one article No. 15 and stipulates that he shall be punished by imprisonment and a fine of no less than 200,000 dirhams and not more than two million dirhams, or one of the These two penalties are for anyone who forges, imitates or copies a credit card or any electronic payment method, or who appropriates its data or information using information technology means or an information system.

The same penalty shall be imposed on whoever manufactures or designs any means of information technology, or information program, with the intention of facilitating any of the actions stipulated previously, and whoever uses without permission a credit card or any means of electronic payment or any of its data or information With the intention of obtaining for himself or for others, the money or property of others, or benefiting from the services offered by others, as well as anyone who accepts dealing with these forged, imitation or copied cards, or other electronic payment methods, or the data of electronic payment methods that have been seized in an unauthorized manner. legitimate, with the knowledge of its illegality.

• 500 thousand dirhams, not exceeding two million dirhams, a fine and imprisonment for anyone who forged, imitated or copied a credit card.

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