What a CVV Code Is
A CVV is a 3 or 4 digit code printed on a payment card. Visa, Mastercard, and American Express issue it. The code verifies that the person entering card details holds the physical card. Card networks require merchants to collect it for card-not-present transactions.
Selling Card Data Is a Federal Crime
Sites that claim to sell CVV data trade in stolen account numbers. US law treats this as access device fraud under 18 U.S.C. 1029. Penalties reach 10 years in prison for a first offense and 20 years for repeat offenses. Aggravated cases reach 30 years. Identity theft charges under 18 U.S.C. 1028 add more time. A conviction can also trigger restitution to banks and cardholders.
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Buyers carry risk. Prosecutors charge buyers with conspiracy and wire fraud. Undercover agents operate inside these marketplaces. Takedowns of card shops have produced hundreds of arrests since 2010.
Enforcement
The FBI runs the Internet Crime Complaint Center, which logs card fraud complaints. The US Secret Service investigates payment card fraud and cyber financial crime. The Department of Justice prosecutes cases through US Attorney offices. International operations involve Europol and national police units.
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Card Network Controls
Visa and Mastercard run transaction monitoring systems. Issuers score each authorization for fraud risk. Banks reissue cards after a breach and block flagged merchants. Tokenization replaces card numbers with one-time values, which reduces the value of stolen data.
Consumer Steps
The FTC advises cardholders to review statements each month, set transaction alerts, and freeze credit files after a suspected breach. Report card fraud to the issuer, then to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov. File a complaint with the FBI at ic3.gov.
No legitimate marketplace sells live CVV data. Listings that advertise this are fraud operations, law enforcement stings, or scam pages that take payment and deliver nothing.