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Texas Penal Code - PENAL § 33A.051. False Caller Identification Information Display

Current as of January 01, 2024 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a) A person commits an offense if the person, with the intent to defraud or cause harm, makes a call or engages in any other conduct using any type of technology that results in the display on another person’s telecommunications device of data that misrepresents the actor’s identity or telephone number.

(b) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a conviction for an offense under this section may not be used for enhancement purposes under any other section of this chapter.

(d) It is a defense to prosecution that the actor:

(1) blocked caller identification information;

(2) was a peace officer or federal law enforcement officer lawfully discharging an official duty;

(3) was an officer, agent, or employee of a federal intelligence or security agency lawfully discharging an official duty;

(4) was an officer, agent, or employee of a telecommunications service provider who was:

(A) acting in the provider’s capacity as an intermediary for the transmission of telephone service, a Voice over Internet Protocol transmission, or another type of telecommunications transmission between the caller and the recipient;

(B) providing or configuring a service or service feature as requested by a customer;

(C) acting in a manner that is authorized or required by other law;  or

(D) engaging in other conduct that is a necessary incident to the provision of service;  or

(5) was a private investigator licensed under Chapter 1702, Occupations Code, lawfully conducting an investigation.

(e) For the purposes of this section, “telecommunications service provider” means a:

(1) telecommunications provider, as defined by Section 51.002, Utilities Code;  or

(2) provider of telecommunications service, advanced communications services, or information service, as those terms are defined by 47 U.S.C. Section 153.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Texas Penal Code - PENAL § 33A.051. False Caller Identification Information Display - last updated January 01, 2024 | https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/penal-code/penal-sect-33a-051/

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