Patent ID: 8292171

Claim:
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 a plurality of information gathering devices and at least one of a transmitter and a memory, monitoring vehicle activity via one or more of the plurality of information gathering devices, said information gathering devices comprising: a radio frequency identification (RFID) component disposed upon said vehicle, wherein said RFID component is configured to monitor vehicle location activity by interacting with a complimentary RFID component at a gas station to determine that the vehicle is present at the gas station, and an on-board fuel meter mounted on the vehicle and configured to monitor fuel filling activity by measuring fuel as it is dispensed into said vehicle, comparing the vehicle activity to information obtained through the driver or vehicle linked credit card, and detecting a fraudulent fuel purchased based on a discrepancy between the vehicle activity and quantity of fuel purchased by the driver or vehicle linked credit card.