Card valuation connects the new provision to existing theft penalties

New Criminal Law section 8-409 makes gift-card forgery a misdemeanor. Altering or tampering with a card or its packaging must be done with intent to defraud another person. Its maximum penalty is 18 months in prison, a USD 500 fine, or both. That distinct offense should not be confused with the separate value-based theft schedule. [1]

The definition covers closed-loop cards redeemable with a merchant or affiliated group, and open-loop cards bearing a payment-network brand for use across unaffiliated merchants or, where applicable, at an ATM. Credit cards, electronic funds transfers, money, checks, drafts and similar paper instruments are excluded. The new offense does not make every alteration of any payment instrument a gift-card crime. [1]

For theft valuation, new section 7-103(h) uses the greatest of three alternatives: the highest value shown on the card or its packaging, defaulting to USD 100 if neither states a value; the amount the defendant represented it to be worth; or a person’s loss involving use of the card. A currently empty or unactivated balance therefore does not by itself settle the statutory valuation. [1]

Why valuation matters is visible in the existing theft statute. Section 7-104(g) sets different ordinary maximum fines for different property-value bands. These penalties are not

Maryland’s gift-card forgery and theft valuation provisions took effect on October 1, 2026. Chapter 457, approved on May 12, defines fraudulent tampering with a card or its packaging and changes how a stolen gift card’s value is assessed. The operative news is commencement of the enacted law, rather than a new signing. [1] [2] [3] Card valuation connects the new provision to existing theft penalties New Criminal Law section 8-409 makes gift-card forgery a misdemeanor. Altering or tampering with a card or its packaging must be done with intent to defraud another person. Its maximum penalty is 18 months in prison, a USD 500 fine, or both. That distinct offense should not be confused with the separate value-based theft schedule. [1] The definition covers closed-loop cards redeemable with a merchant or affiliated group, and open-loop cards bearing a payment-network brand for use across unaffiliated merchants or, where applicable, at an ATM. Credit cards, electronic funds transfers, money, checks, drafts and similar paper instruments are excluded. The new offense does not make every alteration of any payment instrument a gift-card crime. [1] For theft valuation, new section 7-103(h) uses the greatest of three alternatives: the highest value shown on the card or its packaging, defaulting to USD 100 if neither states a value; the amount the defendant represented it to be worth; or a person’s loss involving use of the card. A currently empty or unactivated balance therefore does not by itself settle the statutory valuation. [1] Why valuation matters is visible in the existing theft statute. Section 7-104(g) sets different ordinary maximum fines for different property-value bands. These penalties are not

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