Fraudulent Electronic Misrepresentation (anti-phishing)
MT Anti-Phishing
Other · Data security
Montana's anti-phishing law makes it identity theft to use a website, email or other internet means to trick people into giving up personal information by pretending to be another person or business. Victims, including impersonated website and trademark owners, can sue.
- Where
- Montana
- Citation
- Mont. Code Ann. 30-14-1712 to 30-14-1713
- Status
- In force
- In force since
- 2007-10-01
- Enforced by
- Attorney General or county attorney (criminal); private plaintiffs (civil)
- People can sue
- Yes
- Penalties
- Treated as identity theft under 45-6-332; affected businesses may recover the greater of actual damages or $500,000, and affected individuals the greater of treble damages or $5,000 per violation (30-14-1713).
- Applies to
- Individuals or businesses that use websites, email or the internet to induce others to provide personal information by impersonating a third party without authority (30-14-1712(1))
Practices it requires
- Do not solicit or induce anyone to provide personal information online by purporting to be a third party without that party's authority.Mont. Code Ann. 30-14-1712(1)
Other duties
- Internet service providers are shielded from liability for removing or disabling access to sites they believe are used for phishing.Mont. Code Ann. 30-14-1712(4)
Sources
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: Effective date inferred from history note (En. Ch. 276, L. 2007) and the default October 1 rule.
Research reference, not legal advice.