Credit thieves use campaign Web sites to test stolen cards’ validity.
Charles Bridges isn't a supporter of Barack Obama.
So he was surprised to find a $103.90 donation to the Obama For America campaign on his American Express credit card statement last month.
"I have never made or authorized in any way a donation to this organization," Bridges wrote in an e-mail.
What I found out from talking to folks at the Obama campaign was that there is a growing criminal enterprise in which stolen credit card numbers are used to make online donations to political campaigns and charities.
It's not that crooks are suddenly becoming activists or do-gooders. Instead, they have found that making online donations is an easy way to verify that the stolen credit card numbers they are buying or selling are valid.
