CVV / CVV2
Security codes on a card used to verify the cardholder has the physical card. CVV is the magnetic stripe code; CVV2 is the printed 3-digit code required for card-not-present.
CVV (Card Verification Value) is encoded in the magnetic stripe and verified when a card is swiped. It confirms the physical card is present and the stripe hasn't been tampered with. It is not visible to the cardholder.
CVV2 is the three or four digit code printed on the back of the card (four digits on the front for Amex). It is not stored on the magnetic stripe and cannot be obtained by skimming a card reader. For card-not-present transactions, requiring CVV2 verifies the buyer has the physical card.
Merchants are prohibited by PCI DSS from storing CVV or CVV2 after authorization. This is a common compliance finding; even storing it temporarily in logs or databases creates liability.
Using CVV2 validation on e-commerce and MOTO transactions reduces fraud rates and helps qualify transactions for lower interchange categories. Most payment gateways support CVV2 checks as a standard configuration option.
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