What a CVV shop sells
A CVV shop is a storefront on the open web or on a darknet forum. It sells card data: account number, expiration date, cardholder name, and the 3 or 4 digit verification value. That value is the CVV, CVC, or CVV2. Listings run from $1 to $5 for a card with no bank profile and from $15 to $100 for a card bundled with identity data. Search phrases such as "best legit CVV shop with cheap prices" point at these sites. The inventory is stolen. No shop of this kind is legal.
Why the purchase is a federal crime
18 U.S.C. § 1029 covers fraud and related activity with access devices. A payment card number is an access device. The statute covers selling, transferring, and possessing card data with intent to defraud. Penalties reach 10 years in prison for a first set of offenses and 15 years for aggravated conduct. Possession of 15 or more unauthorized card numbers is a separate offense under § 1029(a)(3). A buyer who sends funds to a shop has no legal claim on those funds. Courts do not enforce contracts for stolen data.
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Pitfalls reported by buyers
- Cards fail at checkout because the account is closed or frozen.
- The same record is resold to many buyers, so the balance is gone before use.
- Shops close after payment and the operator disappears.
- Third-party "checker" tools record the card data they test and resell it.
- Test charges trip issuer fraud models and the account is shut.
- Payment methods used in these deals (crypto, gift cards, peer transfers) carry no chargeback right.
How card verification values work
Issuers generate the CVV from the account number, the expiration date, and a secret key. The code shows that the buyer holds the physical card. PCI DSS Requirement 3.3.1 bars storage of sensitive authentication data, including the CVV, after authorization. A merchant that keeps your CVV past that point is out of compliance and is a breach risk. A request for the CVV by email or chat, outside a checkout page, is a phishing attempt.
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Numbers that matter for your own card
- CVV length: 3 digits on Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. 4 digits on American Express.
- Credit card liability cap under the Fair Credit Billing Act: $50 for unauthorized charges.
- Debit card liability: $50 if you report within 2 business days, up to $500 within 60 days, and no cap after 60 days.
- Credit freezes: place at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Free under federal law.
Steps after a breach
- Call the issuer and ask for a new account number.
- Dispute each charge in writing and keep the confirmation.
- File a report at IdentityTheft.gov and keep the FTC report number.
- Place a credit freeze or fraud alert at the 3 bureaus.
- File a police report if the issuer requires one.