Corporate Media Claims Identity Thieves Contribute To Ron Paul Campaign

KXAN
November 2, 2007

Credit card thieves donating money to a presidential campaign is becoming an increasingly familiar form of identity theft, but there may be nothing law enforcement can do about it.

For Jaye Ruffino it started when she tried to pay a bill with her check card but was unable to, because the bank put a hold on it.

“I told them this doesn’t make any sense, because this isn’t a credit card, it’s a check card, and I’ve got plenty of money in there, so what’s the problem?” Ruffino said.

A customer service representative told her there was a suspicious $5 charge to her account.

“She said, ‘Somebody by the name of Ron Paul has been trying to take $5 out of your account using this number,’” Ruffino said.

As it turns out, credit card thieves used Ruffino’s card to run a test charge, with the money going to the Ron Paul presidential campaign fund.

Here’s how it works: Thieves gather stolen credit card numbers online and run the test charges to see which numbers work. If the charge goes through, they know they have an active card.

Representatives for the Ron Paul campaign said they have discovered more than a dozen mysterious $5 contributions in the past three days. They said they’re working with banks to return the money.

Ruffino said she is thankful her bank noticed something was wrong, even though she has to get a new card.

Banks should have security measures put in place to catch these test charges on accounts, but it is always a good idea for accountholders to check their statements and credit card bills.

A representative for the Texas Attorney General’s Office on Friday said these crimes are rarely prosecuted, because by the time thieves are tracked down, they’re often in other counties, and the Web sites are shut down.