Using a Credit Card After Being Told to Return It
My question involves criminal law for the state of: Illinois
If you give someone your credit card and tell her she can use it but then clearly tell her to not use it and return it, is it criminal for her to use the card after being told not to do so?
Re: Criminal to Use a Credit Card After Being Told to Return It
Yes technically but you will not likely find any police agency to do anything. They will tell you because you gave the person the card, it is a civil matter. Maybe not, but that is what usually happens. They would ask you why you gave someone the card if you didn't expect that person to use the card. Your answer isn't going to convince a jury either. No prosecutor is going to waste his or her time. It is a civil matter.
You can report the card lost and do a chargeback on the transactions. The card will be cancelled and they will issue you a new card. You should have done that IMMEDIATELY. The signatures of the transactions are not likely to match yours, so you are home free. The credit card company is not going to do anything criminal about it. The card company also cares much more about their customer than the mechant. The merchant is the one that gets screwed almost all the time.
In the alternative you can pay the transactions and sue your friend. Lots of luck collecting there.
Re: Criminal to Use a Credit Card After Being Told to Return It
Is this person going to admit that she was told not to use the card but, even after being told that, continued to make charges? If not, you can expect the police to tell you that this is a 'civil matter' and the credit card company to hold you responsible for the debt. (Even if she admits that she made charges after you revoked your permission that could happen - you take a risk when you give somebody your credit card and tell them they can make charges.)