(1) A person commits the crime of unlawful factoring of a credit card or payment card transaction if the person:

(a) Uses a scanning device to access, read, obtain, memorize, or store, temporarily or permanently, information encoded on a payment card without the permission of the authorized user of the payment card or with the intent to defraud the authorized user, another person, or a financial institution;

(b) Uses a reencoder to place information encoded on a payment card onto a different card without the permission of the authorized issuer of the card from which the information is being reencoded or with the intent to defraud the authorized user, another person, or a financial institution;

(c) Presents to or deposits with, or causes another to present to or deposit with, a financial institution for payment a credit card or payment card transaction record that is not the result of a credit card or payment card transaction between the cardholder and the person;

(d) Employs, solicits, or otherwise causes a merchant or an employee, representative, or agent of a merchant to present to or deposit with a financial institution for payment a credit card or payment card transaction record that is not the result of a credit card or payment card transaction between the cardholder and the merchant; or

(e) Employs, solicits, or otherwise causes another to become a merchant for purposes of engaging in conduct made unlawful by this section.

(2) Normal transactions conducted by or through airline reporting corporation-appointed travel agents or cruise-only travel agents recognized by passenger cruise lines are not considered factoring for the purposes of this section.

(3) In a proceeding under this section that is related to an identity theft under RCW 9.35.020, the crime will be considered to have been committed in any locality where the person whose means of identification or financial information was appropriated resides, or in which any part of the offense took place, regardless of whether the defendant was ever actually in that locality.

(4)(a) Unlawful factoring of a credit card or payment card transaction is a class C felony.

(b) A second or subsequent violation of subsection (1) of this section is a class B felony.

Reviser's note: This section was amended by 2003 c 52 s 2 and by 2003 c 119 s 4, each without reference to the other. Both amendments are incorporated in the publication of this section under RCW 1.12.025(2). For rule of construction, see RCW 1.12.025(1).