Jesse Scheckner
Companion bills designed to crack down on gift card fraud in Florida are close to passing. Both await floor votes.
Members of the House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to advance HB 1007, which would codify language and punishments specific to gift card fraud in Florida Statutes.
Senate lawmakers did the same for the bill’s upper-chamber analog (SB 1198) Tuesday.
The House bill’s sponsor, St. Augustine Republican Rep. Sam Greco, a lawyer, said the crime his legislation aims to address “has victimized many Floridians in recent years.”
“These schemes have resulted in meaningful financial losses for both consumers and businesses, while our law enforcement and State Attorneys lack the necessary tools to combat this misconduct effectively,” he said.
“The bill aims to protect Floridians from exploitation and give our police and prosecutors the tools they need to hold bad actors accountable.”
SB 1198 and HB 1007 differ slightly in language, but their effects are essentially the same. If passed, the legislation would:
— Establish clear definitions for gift cards and terms related to their use and misuse.
— Make committing gift card fraud a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and $1,000 in fines.
— Increase the penalty to a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines, if the value of ill-gotten money, goods or services exceeds $750.
Representatives from the International Council of Shopping Centers, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Retail Federation, Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, Associated Industries of Florida, Florida Smart Justice Alliance, AARP and Interactive Communications International support the legislation.
In 2023 alone, gift card-related fraud accounted for $217 million of the record $10 billion lost in scams across the U.S., according to Federal Trade Commission data.
In Florida, there have been many news reports about gift card fraudsters getting caught.
Democratic Rep. Dan Daley, a Broward County prosecutor, said the state’s existing petit theft laws aren’t sufficient in tamping down on gift card fraud.
“This is not a person that’s going in and just taking a gift card or two off the shelf,” he said.
“This is a complicated scheme where they’re going in, taking as many as they can, taking them home, stripping them out of the packaging, taking down the information, repackaging it, putting it back in the store, somebody’s unexpectedly buying them and giving them to a loved one — a family member, whatever — as a gift, and when there’s money loaded onto the card (the criminal takes) the money. … So, very complicated, very complex.”
St. Petersburg Sen. Nick DiCeglie is carrying SB 1198.
17 comments
Peachy
April 3, 2025 at 8:41 am
The question is, what will the leftist, activist, looting, torching, destroying Demos do now?
JD
April 3, 2025 at 9:34 am
Maybe deport lawfully registered Republicans to an El Salvadorian prison without due process… oh wait, that’s a Republican projection.
JD
April 3, 2025 at 9:35 am
Maybe storm the capital with a hang Mike Pence effigy and hunt lawmakers? Oh wait…
JD
April 3, 2025 at 9:36 am
Maybe wear kahki’s with tiki torches, assualt rifles and zip ties to tie up people? Oh wait…
JD
April 3, 2025 at 9:39 am
Maybe Gerrymander most states Federal Election maps to disenfranchise the majority or plurality of voters? Oh wait…
JD
April 3, 2025 at 9:40 am
Maybe purge voter rolls of their opposing party through anonmyous and coordinated efforts like an organized crime syndicate? Oh wait…
JD
April 3, 2025 at 9:42 am
Maybe try to buy swing state supreme court races with an oligarch dark money who has pending cases in the court? Oh wait…
JD
April 3, 2025 at 9:44 am
So these were all things done by GOP LEADERSHIP and the stuff you were talking about is done by pissed off citizens. Except the leftist and activist portions, which you think somehow is an insult or bad, when I doubt you’ve ever looked up the linage of the terms, nor their definitions.
You got nothing but scams and shams.
JD
April 3, 2025 at 9:39 am
Maybe Gerrymander most states Federal Election maps to disenfranchise the majority or plurality of voters? Oh wait…
Peachy
April 3, 2025 at 10:33 am
JD is as nutty as Crockett, Jayapal, AOC, Tlaib, Omar, Waters, Pelosi, and many many others. The intolerant left. Funny Scarborough backing off from his “Biden is as sharp and focused as I’ve ever seen”. Then there is Obama working behind the scenes against Ka Mana Wana. I told you she was a lousy candidate JD. Who had the Biden “auto pen”?
JD
April 3, 2025 at 10:48 am
You’re tossing out names and insults, but let’s focus on facts. Calling elected officials like AOC, Jayapal, or Pelosi “nutty” doesn’t engage with their policies, it just dodges debate. The “intolerant left” line falls flat when intolerance shows up across the spectrum, and disagreement isn’t the same as extremism. Scarborough’s comment about Biden being sharp was one take, later clarified and hardly the scandal you’re making it out to be. As for Obama supposedly working behind the scenes against Kamala Harris, there’s no solid evidence, just rumor and speculation. And the “auto pen” claim? Presidents from both parties have used it, including George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and yes, Donald Trump. It’s a legal tool for signing documents, not some deep-state conspiracy. If Kamala Harris isn’t your preferred candidate, that’s fine but criticize her record, not with vague insults but with actual points. Again, you don’t have anything but scams and shams of right-tard media talking points.
Peachy
April 3, 2025 at 3:47 pm
The classic leftist know it all. Are you a college professor? Tenure? Smarter than everyone else? I know your type.
JD
April 3, 2025 at 3:58 pm
Oh no, Peachy’s pulling out the elitist trope.
I’m an American patriot and a Florida citizen.
And honestly, I’m just smarter than you on this one. I can see right through your rhetoric.
How’s that propaganda working out for you? You know the type?
JD
April 3, 2025 at 4:03 pm
Speaking of smart, don’t forget your Right-tard helmet so you can lick the bus windows with Trump.
JD
April 3, 2025 at 11:13 am
BTW, how’s the Dow this morning from the Right-tard president? Somebody not put his helmet on so he can lick the bus windows?
Peachy
April 3, 2025 at 3:46 pm
The DOW is on sale. You buying or crying?
JD
April 3, 2025 at 3:59 pm
You’re going with “it’s a bargin” with American economic meltdown? You’re not even trying Peaches and Cream.