Buying CVV Data Online: Legal Status in the US

What "CVV" Means

CVV stands for card verification value. Visa prints CVV2. Mastercard prints CVC2. American Express prints CID. The three or four digits sit on the card or in the issuing bank's records. The code proves the person entering a card number holds the physical card. A CVV is not a product. Sites that list CVVs for sale offer stolen card records.

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US Law

18 U.S.C. § 1029 covers fraud and related activity with access devices. A card number and its CVV are access devices under the statute. Buying, selling, transferring, or holding them with intent to defraud is a federal offense.

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• 18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(3): trafficking in access devices. Up to 10 years for a first offense, 15 years after a prior conviction.
• 18 U.S.C. § 1028A: aggravated identity theft. Two years, imposed after the underlying sentence, with no parole.
• 18 U.S.C. § 1029(b)(2): conspiracy carries the same maximum as the underlying act.

How Cases Start

The US Secret Service runs cyber fraud task forces. The FBI runs the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Banks file chargeback data and card networks flag merchant accounts. Prosecutors stack counts. One purchased card record can produce one count. A file of 500 records can produce 500 counts.

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Sentencing Facts

Federal sentencing uses the US Sentencing Guidelines. Loss amount drives the range. Courts add levels for victim count and for use of a foreign jurisdiction. Restitution orders survive bankruptcy in most fraud cases.

What This Page Does Not Cover

It does not name vendors, compare prices, or describe payment methods. Those details are operational. If you have a question about your own card data, call your issuing bank. If you need to report card fraud, file at ic3.gov or contact a Secret Service field office.