Establishes the offenses of phishing in the third degree, phishing in the second degree and phishing in the first degree; relates to the time in which prosecution of such offenses must be commenced.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6944
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 27, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. LANZA -- 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 offenses
of phishing in the third degree, phishing in the second degree and
phishing in the first degree; and to amend the criminal procedure law,
in relation to the time in which a prosecution of such offenses must
be commenced
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 156.00 of the penal law is amended by adding a new
2 subdivision 10 to read as follows:
3 10. "Malware" means computer software specifically designed to cause
4 damage to a device or a network.
5 § 2. The penal law is amended by adding three new sections 156.41,
6 156.42 and 156.43 to read as follows:
7 § 156.41 Phishing in the third degree.
8 A person is guilty of phishing in the third degree when such person
9 sends an email to an individual:
10 1. urging the individual to:
11 a. send money to the person or to a third-party account to which the
12 person has access;
13 b. download an attachment which contains malware infecting the indi-
14 vidual's computer or electronic device; or
15 c. click on a link which redirects the individual to a website requir-
16 ing the individual to input their login credentials, banking informa-
17 tion, or personal information or which causes malware to automatically
18 be downloaded onto the individual's computer or electronic device;
19 2. with the intent to:
20 a. steal such person's login credentials, passwords, money, financial
21 or personal information; or
22 b. introduce a malware attack on such person's computer data.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10705-01-5
S. 6944 2
1 Phishing in the third degree is a class A misdemeanor.
2 § 156.42 Phishing in the second degree.
3 A person is guilty of phishing in the second degree when such person
4 commits the crime of phishing in the third degree and causes an individ-
5 ual to send money in the aggregate exceeding five hundred dollars or
6 causes damage to the individual's computer or electronic device or the
7 loss of data in an amount in the aggregate exceeding five hundred
8 dollars.
9 Phishing in the second degree is a class E felony.
10 § 156.43 Phishing in the first degree.
11 A person is guilty of phishing in the first degree when such person
12 commits the crime of phishing in the third degree and causes an individ-
13 ual to send money in the aggregate exceeding two thousand dollars or
14 causes damage to the individual's computer or electronic device or the
15 loss of data in an amount in the aggregate exceeding two thousand
16 dollars.
17 Phishing in the first degree is a class D felony.
18 § 3. Subdivision 3 of section 30.10 of the criminal procedure law is
19 amended by adding a new paragraph (i) to read as follows:
20 (i) A prosecution for phishing in the first degree as defined in
21 section 156.43, phishing in the second degree as defined in section
22 156.42 or phishing in the third degree as defined in section 156.41 of
23 the penal law may be commenced within twenty years after the commission
24 thereof.
25 § 4. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
26 ing the date upon which it shall have become a law.
