---
title: "What if the cardholder gave me permission before?"
description: "Prior authorization is one of the strongest and most underused defenses in Rhode Island credit card fraud cases. Every RIGL Title 11, Chapter 49 statute requires the use to be unauthorized and the..."
url: https://bankandmunns.com/faq-items/what-if-the-cardholder-gave-me-permission-before/
date: 2026-04-22
modified: 2026-04-29
author: "Bank and Munns"
type: avada_faq
lang: en
---

# What if the cardholder gave me permission before?

Prior authorization is one of the strongest and most underused defenses in Rhode Island credit card fraud cases. Every RIGL Title 11, Chapter 49 statute requires the use to be unauthorized and the defendant to have specific intent to defraud. If the cardholder - spouse, partner, roommate, family member, business associate - let you use the card previously, that course of dealing is evidence of consent. Prosecutors often ignore the history and charge off a single recent complaint, but the jury instruction on "unauthorized" use is a real defense. Gather texts, shared-account records, and any documentation of past authorized use. The defense is especially strong in domestic breakup cases, where one partner rewrites history after the relationship ends.