California § 538.5. 538.5. (Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 15, Sec. 389.)

California Statutes

§ 538.5. — 538.5. (Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 15, Sec. 389.)

California § 538.5.

JurisdictionCalifornia

Code PENPenal Code - PEN

Title13.

Part 1.TITLE 13. OF CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY

Ch. 8.CHAPTER 8. False Personation and Cheats

This text of California § 538.5. (538.5. (Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 15, Sec. 389.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Cal. Penal Code - PEN Code § 538.5. (2026).

Text

Every person who transmits or causes to be transmitted by means of wire, radio or television communication any words, sounds, writings, signs, signals, or pictures for the purpose of furthering or executing a scheme or artifice to obtain, from a public utility, confidential, privileged, or proprietary information, trade secrets, trade lists, customer records, billing records, customer credit data, or accounting data by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, personations, or promises is guilty of an offense punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170, or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year.

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Every person who transmits or causes to be transmitted by means of wire, radio or television communication any words, sounds, writings, signs, signals, or pictures for the purpose of furthering or executing a scheme or artifice to obtain, from a public utility, confidential, privileged, or proprietary information, trade secrets, trade lists, customer records, billing records, customer credit data, or accounting data by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, personations, or promises is guilty of an offense punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170, or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year.

Legislative History

Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 15, Sec. 389. (AB 109) Effective April 4, 2011. Operative October 1, 2011, by Sec. 636 of Ch. 15, as amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 39, Sec. 68.