Fuel Card Fraud | How To Protect Your Fleet

Fuel Card fraud is the illegal use of fuel cards to make unauthorised purchases.

Fuel cards for businesses are an effective method for managing the refueling of your vehicles. However, if they become the subject of fraud from unethical employees and staff it can end up costing your business a significant amount of money.

By becoming aware of the types of fuel card fraud that exist and how to prevent them will help to protect your business from losing valuable money.

In this blog post we will explain what fuel card fraud is and provide specific actions that you can take to help prevent it.

What Is Fuel Card Fraud?

Fuel card fraud refers to situations in which fuel cards are utilised by unauthorised individuals or for purchases that have no connection to the business that possesses them. There are two primary categories of fuel card fraud: internal and external. Internal fraud occurs when employees of a company misuse fuel cards by making unauthorised or excessive purchases, while external fraud involves the misuse of fuel cards by third parties who are not designated or authorized to use them.

External fuel card fraud can occur when cards are lost or stolen and the PIN is written on the back. By having the PIN on the back of the card the person who has it will have the details required to use it. Other cases of external fuel card fraud is cards being cloned and then used to purchase fuel fraudulently. These cases are often identified and dealt with very quick.

Internal fraud can be harder to spot but misuse can take place in many different forms. The most common examples includes staff sharing fuel cards internally or with friends and family, fueling their personal vehicles, or buying non-fuel items.

An additional form of fraud that exists is fuel station cashiers inflating the amount spent on fuel for the employees to claim the excess in cash.

who can get a fuel card

How To Prevent Fuel Card Fraud

There are a number of policies and procedures that you can introduce to help prevent fuel card fraud. These include:

Category	Checklist Item
1. Issue Controls	Assign each fuel card to a specific driver, vehicle, or department. Set up clear guidelines for authorized use (e.g., fuel and vehicle-related expenses only).
2. Set Purchase Limits	Establish daily, weekly, or monthly spending caps. Limit the types of items that can be purchased (e.g., fuel only).
3. Monitor Usage Regularly	Use automated reporting tools to review transactions in real-time. Look out for anomalies such as unexpected locations or unusually high purchases.
4. Train Drivers and Staff	Educate users on proper fuel card usage and the risks of fraud. Ensure employees know how to report lost or stolen cards immediately.
5. Secure Cards Properly	Store fuel cards securely when not in use. Prohibit sharing of fuel cards or PINs among employees.
6. Handle Lost or Stolen Cards Quickly	Report lost or stolen cards to the provider as soon as possible. Ensure the card is blocked to prevent unauthorized use.

Choosing A Secure Fuel Card Supplier

Along with using the different procedures mentioned above, choosing a secure fuel card supplier will put your business in the best position to prevent fraud. Fuelwise have been in business for over 30 years and as Ireland’s oldest fuel card supplier have developed a reputation of providing a convenient and safe method of payment.

We provide fuel cards that require a four digit PIN to be used and offer you the opportunity to put in place different limits. These include individual, daily and weekly transaction limits along with daily and weekly velocity (the number of times a fuel card can be used) limits.

All customers receive free and unlimited access to Velocity Fleet, our industry leading fleet management system. Using this system you can monitor transactions including the date, location, amount and registration that was entered.

Velocity Fleet & Radius Velocity

Sign Up For Fuel Cards

Signing up for Fuelwise Fuel Cards couldn’t be easier, simply complete the form below.

Dominic Dysart

Marketing Manager at Fuelwise

Dominic has been covering the fuel and fleet management industry for over seven years, writing about Fuel Cards, Telematics, and Vehicle Cameras. In 2023 he was awarded the Excellence In Marketing award at the Causeway Chamber Business Awards, followed by the Best Use Of Social Media In Service/B2B at the 2024 NI Social Media Awards. You can connect with Dominic on LinkedIn here.

fuelwise.ie/

VES Transport

“I have been using Fuelwise fuel cards for many years and both the product and level of service is exceptional. To manage my business daily I use Velocity to monitor fuel spend and transactions and e-Route helps my drivers find any of the thousands of sites available with the Fuelwise fuel card. My Account Manager is always on hand to help and goes the extra mile to ensure everything is running smoothly”.

MDE Installations

“Fuelwise is very customer focused and were able to provide what I needed for this project where others couldn’t. The e- Route app helps our engineers find Core sites instead of Non-Core sites which helps with efficiencies and cost savings. Velocity is well managed, and I can create plenty of reports and my Account Manager is always on hand to help. With GPS Tracking built into Velocity I can view distance travelled, speed etc. and driver contact details without having to open another system.”

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