Selling CVVs Online for Carding: US Law and Penalties

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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

The short answer

Offering CVVs for sale online is illegal in the United States. 18 U.S.C. 1029 makes it a crime to traffic in access devices, a category that covers credit card numbers and the verification codes printed on them. A seller does not need to use a stolen card to break the law. Advertising, transferring, or brokering the data is enough for a charge.

What a CVV is

Visa, Mastercard, and Discover print a three-digit code on the back of a card. American Express prints four digits on the front. Network documents call it CVV2, CVC2, or CID. Merchants use it to check that the buyer holds the physical card. PCI DSS prohibits storing the code after a transaction authorizes.

What carding is

Carding is the use of stolen card data to buy goods, load gift cards, or move funds. A seller who supplies card numbers, ZIP codes, and CVVs hands the buyer the three fields that most card-not-present checkouts request. Prices in these markets run from about $1 for a bulk list to $50 or more for data tied to a high-balance account. The price is not a signal that the data works.

Penalties

18 U.S.C. 1029 sets statutory maximums of 10 to 15 years per count, plus fines, with higher ranges for aggravated conduct. 18 U.S.C. 1028A adds a mandatory two-year term, consecutive to any other sentence, when the offense involves another person's identity. Sentences turn on the number of devices, the dollar loss, and prior convictions. Federal courts do not offer parole.

Why the market is short-lived

Many sites that advertise CVV sales take payment and deliver nothing, or deliver lists of dead numbers. A buyer who is cheated cannot report the fraud to police without describing a crime. Card networks use tokenization, 3-D Secure, and risk scoring. An issuer can void a card within minutes of a suspicious charge. Undercover agents and postal inspectors buy from these shops to build cases, so a purchase can become evidence against the buyer.

Reporting

Cardholders report stolen card data to the issuer and to the FTC through IdentityTheft.gov. The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center collects access device fraud complaints. The US Secret Service holds primary jurisdiction over payment fraud cases.

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