In an article published by Land Line Magazine in the June 2011 issue, the subject of fuel card fraud is discussed. Two truckers share experiences of being the victims of theft related to their fuel credit card accounts with Comdata and EFS Transportation Services. In one instance, the perpetrators had been able to gather enough information about a card holder's account to write thousands of dollars of checks against the account. The trucker had been told two weeks prior to this event that Comdata had discontinued online checks.
Another owner-operator from Soldiers Grove, WI lost $10,400 in April when his EFS Transportation Services fuel card was hacked. Seventeen checks were cashed in three states using the account. The driver alleges that the company had time to stop payment and didn't.
In both instances, the victims express a great deal of frustration with the credit card companies in that the companies and law enforcement authorities do not provide much assurance of getting to the bottom of the issue. Comdata does not accept responsibility for the loss, even though it acknowledges that its customers have been the target of hackers. The risk management representative states that, "This appears to be a group of hackers who have been targeting the industry as a whole."
Land Line magazine conducted an informal survey on its website and the results indicate that 10 percent of respondents communicated that their fuel card/check was compromised or hacked one or more times. Fifteen percent say that they go ahead and pay for diesel with cash.
A recent lawsuit filed by Brady & Associates against Pilot Travel Centers, LLC is based on the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) rule that "[N]o person that accepts credit cards or debit cards for the transaction of business shall print more than the last five digits of the card number or the expiration date upon any receipt provided to the cardholder at the point of sale or transaction." The lawsuit alleges that the defendant willfully violated FACTA and failed to protect Plaintiff and others similarly situated against identity theft as well as credit card and debit card fraud by printing "more than the last five digits of the card number" on receipts provided to cardholders doing business with Pilot.
The attorneys at Brady & Associates would like to hear from drivers who use fuel cards who have also been the victim of fraud or identity theft. Please contact us if you or someone you know has experienced a loss you suspect may be due to these alleged vulnerabilities.
Source:
Fuel cards hacked? Comdata warns of account thefts, Land Line Magazine, June 2011
