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S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
3990
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
January 31, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. PARKER, PERSAUD, SEPULVEDA, STAVISKY -- read twice
and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee
on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to establishing the offense
of false pretense
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "e-impersonation prevention act".
3 § 2. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 190.22 to read
4 as follows:
5 § 190.22 FALSE PRETENSE.
6 1. A PERSON IS GUILTY OF FALSE PRETENSE, WHEN SUCH PERSON KNOWINGLY
7 AND WITHOUT CONSENT IMPERSONATES ANOTHER PERSON THROUGH OR ON AN INTER-
8 NET WEBSITE OR BY OTHER ELECTRONIC MEANS FOR THE PURPOSES OF HARMING,
9 INTIMIDATING, THREATENING OR DEFRAUDING SUCH OTHER PERSON.
10 2. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION:
11 (A) AN IMPERSONATION IS CREDIBLE IF ANOTHER PERSON WOULD REASONABLY
12 BELIEVE OR DID REASONABLY BELIEVE THAT THE DEFENDANT WAS OR IS THE
13 PERSON WHO WAS IMPERSONATED.
14 (B) "ELECTRONIC MEANS" SHALL INCLUDE THE ACCESSING OF AN E-MAIL
15 ACCOUNT, OR AN ACCOUNT OR PROFILE ON A SOCIAL NETWORKING INTERNET
16 WEBSITE IN ANOTHER PERSON'S NAME.
17 FALSE PRETENSE IS A CLASS D FELONY.
18 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
19 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05243-01-5