Fraudulent fuel purchase detection system and method

• US 20090152346A1
• Filed: 12/13/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Eric S., Granruth, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,292,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/30 Transportation; Communications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

In a fuel card monitoring system the vehicle associate with the fuel card is provided with a transmitter and possibly a memory for relaying information associated with a credit transaction, relating to one or more of the vehicle position, the number of miles driven, the amount of fuel taken in, and the turning off and on of the vehicle engine. Information gathering devices may be provided on the vehicle for monitoring the fuel amount, the timing information and the location of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of detecting fraudulent fuel purchases with a vehicle or driver linked credit card, comprising

providing the vehicle with a mobile data unit that includes at least one information gathering device and at least one of a transmitter and a memory,

monitoring vehicle activity by means of the information gathering device, and

comparing the vehicle activity to information obtained through the driver or vehicle linked credit card.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle activity includes the distance covered by the vehicle as determined by the vehicle'"'"'s odometer or a separate distance measuring meter.

3. A method of claim 2, wherein the distance covered by the vehicle comprises the distance since the last fuel purchase or since leaving a home base.

4. A method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle activity includes engine stop and start times, which are provided by an on-board clock provided on the vehicle.

5. A method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle activity comprises a position locator mounted on the vehicle.

6. A method of claim 5, wherein the position locator includes a GPS receiver, RFID reader, or other location determining device.

7. A method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle activity includes fuel quantity being purchased.

8. A method of claim 7, wherein the vehicle activity further includes the time, and the date of the fuel purchase.

9. A method of claim 7, wherein the method includes providing an on-board fuel meter mounted on the vehicle.

10. A method of claim 1, wherein the transmitter comprising at least one of a radio, satellite, or cell phone transmitter.

11. A method of claim 10, wherein the mobile data unit includes a memory and wherein the transmitter is linked to the memory to transmit information from the memory when an open transmission channel is available.

12. A method of claim 1, further comprising capturing the information relating to the vehicle activity at a central location.

13. A method of claim 1, wherein the information obtained through the vehicle or driver linked credit card includes one or more of the date of a fuel purchase transaction, start and stop times of the fuelling process, the location of the gas station where the credit card was processed, the monetary amount of the transaction and the amount of fuel dispensed.

14. A fuel card monitoring system for monitoring usage of a fuel card that is associated with a specific vehicle or driver, comprising

one or more information gathering devices mounted on a vehicle for monitoring aspects about the vehicle or the fuel being purchased, and

a transmitter for transmitting the information gathered by the one or more information gathering devices.

15. A system of claim 14, wherein the information gathering devices include at least one of a fuel meter, a distance measuring device for measuring the distance traveled by the vehicle since having been last refueled or since leaving home base, an ignition sensor for determining when the vehicle'"'"'s engine is turned off and on again, and a location determining device.

16. A system of claim 15, wherein the location determining device includes a GNSS receiver or an RFID reader.

17. A system of claim 16, wherein the GNSS receiver includes at least one of a GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou, and any other Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) receiver.

18. A system of claim 16, further including a database for centrally capturing the information sent by the transmitter or downloaded from the memory.

19. A system of claim 18, wherein the database also captures information from a credit card reader to supplement the information from the vehicle mounted information gathering devices.