FTC Sues FleetCor Over Fuel Card ‘Mystery Fees’

The Federal Trade Commission has filed an administrative complaint against fuel card company FleetCor for allegedly charging customers “hundreds of millions of dollars” in “mystery fees” connected to their cards.

“FleetCor, marketing under the ‘Fuelman’ brand name and through co-branded cards with businesses around the country, falsely told its business customers that they would save money, be protected from unauthorized charges, and have no set-up, transaction, or membership fees,” the commission said in a Wednesday (Aug. 11) news release.

According to the FTC, FleetCor’s own records show that most customers have not reached the advertised savings by using the company’s cards.

This complaint stems from an earlier case against FleetCor. In December of 2019, the commission filed a complaint saying FleetCor billed hundreds of millions in hidden charges to its clients in the form of unexpected fees. The case stemmed from thousands of complaints about FleetCor sent to the Better Business Bureau.

However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the FTC could not seek redress for consumers under section 13(b) of the FTC Act. In order to recover money lost by consumers, the FTC filed a new complaint under a different section of the act.

“FleetCor fleeced its customers out of hundreds of millions of dollars through its dishonest practices,” said Samuel Levine, acting director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The FTC will do everything it can to get money back to FleetCor’s business customers and unsuspecting fuel card users by refiling this complaint administratively. We will also continue to work with Congress on a broader legislative solution following the Supreme Court’s decision in AMG, which has hindered our ability to recover redress for families and honest businesses.”

FleetCor said in a 2019 statement it “strongly disagrees” with the FTC’s findings.

Learn more: FTC Sues FleetCor Over ‘Hidden’ Charges On Fuel Cards