Core Answer: You Cannot Legally Sell CVV
If you are asking where to sell CVV numbers, the direct answer is nowhere. Buying, selling, or trading CVV data is a federal crime in the United States. CVVs are payment card security codes used to verify that you physically hold a card during a transaction. Any marketplace that claims to buy or sell CVV is engaged in fraud, and participating can result in prosecution, fines, and imprisonment.
If you are a legitimate business asking how to safely process and store CVV data, you do not sell it. You are only allowed to collect CVV to verify the cardholder during a transaction, and you must follow PCI DSS compliance rules. Never store CVV after the transaction is authorized.
What Is a CVV and Why Is It Protected?
CVV stands for Card Verification Value (Visa) or CVC (Mastercard). It is the 3- or 4-digit number on the back of a card. It is designed to prevent card-not-present fraud. Because it proves you possess the physical card, its use is heavily restricted by card networks and laws.
Legal Consequences of Selling CVV
- Federal charges: Under U.S. law, trafficking in stolen credit card data is a crime under the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
- State charges: Every state has its own laws against credit card fraud and identity theft.
- Civil penalties: Card networks and financial institutions can also sue individuals for damages.
Even if you possess CVVs that you did not steal, selling them still counts as fraud and illegal trafficking.
Legitimate Alternatives to Selling CVV
If you work in e-commerce or payment processing, you may want to monetize data. However, CVV data cannot be sold, but you can:
- Use a secure payment processor that handles card data without exposing full credentials to you.
- Implement tokenization so that card numbers and CVV are never stored in your environment.
- If you have a business that deals with customer data, anonymized analytics can be sold, but this has nothing to do with CVV.
Again, there is no legitimate market where you can sell CVV itself.
What to Do If You Find CVV for Sale Online?
If you see a forum or website selling CVV, do not engage. Report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and your card issuer. You can help prevent fraud by alerting the authorities.
How to Protect CVV as a Merchant
- Never store CVV after a transaction. PCI DSS forbids it.
- Encrypt all transmitted card data using TLS 1.2 or higher.
- Limit employee access to card data systems.
- Conduct regular vulnerability scans and penetration tests.
FAQ
Can I sell CVV for research or testing purposes?
No. Even if the purpose is research, handling real CVVs outside authorization is illegal. Use test card numbers provided by payment processors.
Is buying CVV legal?
Absolutely not. Buying stolen CVV is as illegal as selling them. Both parties are committing fraud.
What if I accidentally found CVV data, what should I do?
Do not share it, do not use it. Immediately report the discovery to the proper authorities and delete the data securely if possible.
Are there legitimate businesses that buy card data?
Payment processors and banks may purchase products and services related to fraud prevention, but they never purchase actual CVV data. There is no legitimate market for raw CVV.