 TITLE: What Is a CVV Number on a Credit Card? CONTENT: How Your CVV Protects You From Identity Theft\n---------------------------------------------\nCVVs add another layer of identity theft protection and can help prevent unauthorized transactions. While many major retailers store your credit card account number in their databases, your CVV or CID is not allowed to be stored after the card is authorized due to credit card compliance standards.\nThis means even if identity thieves hack into a merchant's system and steal your credit card number, or somehow otherwise access your credit card number, they may not be able to use your card information if they don't have the code when attempting an online or phone purchase.\nKeep in mind that businesses are not currently required to request a CVV or CID code, and not all do. Moreover, some retailers will ask for it the first time you make a purchase to verify your identity, but then do not require it on subsequent purchases if you are logged in on their website as a customer.\nIt is also possible for identity thieves to use malicious software known as malware to steal your CVV or CID codes from retailers, or thieves could potentially obtain one from you in a phishing attempt if you're not careful. Plus, if someone steals your physical card, they will have access to it. Some financial institutions are experimenting with dynamic CVVs, or CVVs that change periodically, to make it even harder for thieves to make fraudulent purchases. END