CVV Shops: What They Sell and Why Buying Is a Crime

Our Cards

Choose from any of our gift cards to give to your loved ones

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Where to Use?

Redeem your gift cards at any of our Merchants

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Where to Buy?

You can purchase a gift card from any of these locations

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ABOUT US

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What is ONYX GiftCards?

Onyx Gift Cards is a Grenadian company designed to introduce, market and manage gift cards systems in Grenada for retailers and corporations. We are enthusiastic about the effect and influence we will have on the local market. We intend to expand our systems regionally with a range of product offerings and services.

What is a Gift Card?

Gift cards are the preferred way of giving and receiving gifts. They carry a monetary value that can be redeemed for gifts at your favorite store.
Onyx GiftCards are “Open Gift Cards” which means that they can be redeemed at multiple merchant locations. They are standard credit card size, can fit into the average wallet and made of PVC plastic. Onyx GiftCards are Barcoded for security and safety for the consumer and bear a disclaimer at the back.
Onyx Giftcards can be bought with a branded Card backer which is black in colour and is designed to fit the card. There is an area to write a brief message to the recipient as well.

How it Works?

  • Buy an Onyx Gift Card at these local stores
  • Give your gift card to friends, family, co-workers, etc.
  • The recipient can shop at our select merchants nationwide
  • Your friends, family, co-workers, etc. will present their gift card at checkout to pay for your item(s)
  • They will walk away happy with the best gift ever...the gift of Choice

Why ONYX GiftCards?

  • Save TIME. No need to run around looking for the perfect gift
  • Redeem from a variety of business island-wide. We will continue adding businesses as fast as ONYX grows.
  • ONYX Gift Cards do not expire
  • Cards are valued at convinient amounts to meet every need and occasion

Short answer

A CVV shop cannot sell a "high quality" CVV. The card verification value is either live or dead, and the seller cannot prove which. Buying a stolen card number is trafficking in an unauthorized access device under 18 U.S.C. 1029, a federal crime that carries prison time and fines. The listings exist to move stolen card data and to collect money from buyers who have no legal way to get it back.

What a CVV shop lists

A CVV shop is a site that sells payment card records. A single record holds the 16 digit card number, the 3 or 4 digit verification code, the expiration date, the cardholder name, the billing ZIP code, and the bank name. Some listings add the cardholder date of birth and Social Security number, a package sellers call "fullz." Prices run from a few dollars to about $50 per record, based on figures published by fraud tracking firms.

What "high quality" covers

Shops reuse the same banner words: fresh, live, non-refundable, high balance, 100 percent valid. None of it can be audited. Common practices on these sites:

The law

18 U.S.C. 1029 sets penalties for producing, selling, or using unauthorized access devices. A first offense carries up to 10 years in prison; a second carries up to 15 years. Fines can reach $250,000 for an individual. Aggravated identity theft under 18 U.S.C. 1028A adds a mandatory 2 year consecutive sentence when a stolen card number is used with another person's identity. All 50 states have their own card fraud statutes.

How card numbers reach those sites

How to protect a card

If a card number leaks

Report the card to the issuer and request a new number. A new number stops charges tied to the old one. File a report at IdentityTheft.gov and keep the confirmation. Dispute each charge in writing. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, a consumer's liability for unauthorized credit card charges is capped at $50, and most issuers waive that amount.

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Read our complete guide: Should You Buy CVV From a Card Shop? The Honest Buyer's Guide