Fraud is on the rise as consumers reported $12.5 billion in losses in 2024, and nearly 4 in 5 organizations experienced payment related fraud attempts last year. This serves as a reminder to Stanford Purchasing Card (PCard) and Travel Card (TCard) cardholders and custodians to stay vigilant and practice extra caution during peak travel and holiday purchasing periods. While the Card Services team monitors PCard and TCard accounts for potential fraud throughout winter closure, cardholders and custodians are the first line of defense.
Follow these steps to protect your card:
- Sign up for fraud alerts. Enroll your PCard or TCard in JPMorgan Chase fraud alerts to get notified immediately by text message, email, or phone about suspicious activity.
- Keep your card safe – digitally and physically.
- Avoid saving your PCard or TCard account number as a default payment on websites, except with a Stanford Travel booking option or optional service. Remove any stored account numbers from other sites.
- Do not carry a PCard or TCard. Store the card securely to prevent loss, theft, or accidental personal charges.
- Pause your card use during the holidays.
- Pay for December and January goods and services in advance, using secure and reputable websites.
- Consider placing orders through Amazon Business (not your personal Amazon account) or SmartMart Catalog Suppliers instead, which are preferred purchasing methods at Stanford.
The risk of fraud doesn’t end after the holidays, so it’s important to protect your PCard and TCard year-round by limiting who has access and regularly monitoring for suspicious activity.
- Stay informed
- For support during winter closure, refer to the Fingate announcement Winter Closure Financial Deadlines and Support.
- For information about cardholder misuse, cardholder fraud, and the consequences of misuse and fraud, visit the Purchasing Card (PCard) and Travel Card (TCard) pages.
- Get support
- If you have questions or need help, submit a support request to the Card Services team.
- For questions about potential fraud, contact JPMorgan Chase at 1-800-316-6056.