Laws on stealing, fraud and burglary
Part of the Crime topic
Understand the laws for stealing, fraud and burglary offences in Queensland.
In short
These laws and rules apply to stealing, shoplifting, fraud and burglary offences in Queensland.
Use these rules to understand:
- stealing, shoplifting, fraud and burglary offences
- penalties for committing these crimes.
There are serious consequences for breaking the law under the Criminal Code Act 1899. Penalties include up to 5 years in prison, or up to 14 years in prison if the theft involves aggravation or if a burglary occurs at night.
You must
To comply with the law in Queensland you must:
- Pay for goods, food or services before leaving the store or business.
- Report suspected fraud involving Medicare, Centrelink, or Child Support.
You cannot
To comply with the law in Queensland you cannot:
- Take, eat or drink goods or services without paying for them.
- Swap, remove or alter price tags to pay less for an item.
- Take property belonging to someone else without their consent and keep it with no intention of returning it.
- Obtain goods, money or services dishonestly, such as, by lying or misrepresenting information (fraud).
- Illegally enter someone’s house with the intent to steal (burglary).
- Carry a weapon or pretend to be armed during a burglary.