The Crimes Act contains several offences in relation to ‘identification information.’
Identification information refers to information about a person (living or dead, real or fictitious) that can be used to identify that person.
Examples of ‘identification information’ includes a person’s name or address, their driver’s licence or licence number, passport or passport number, credit cards or credit card information and so on.
Section 192L of the Crimes Act says that it is against the law to have any equipment in your possession that can be used to make identification documents or things.
To be found guilty of this offence, the prosecution has to prove that you had equipment or materials in your possession that could be used to make documents containing identification information, and that you intended that these documents would be used to commit or facilitate the commission of an indictable offence.
The maximum penalty for this offence is 3 years imprisonment.
However, it’s important to remember that this is the absolute maximum penalty that can be imposed, and it will therefore only apply in the most serious cases.
Our expert lawyers have a wealth of experience defending clients in serious fraud cases, such as ‘possession of identification equipment’ matters and can help you avoid these onerous penalties.