Beware of Dubious Requests for Political Donations

One of my relatives sent me an email purporting to be from "the National Organization of Hillary Clinton Supporters for John McCain." This group is asking for donations to (supposedly) pay for an ad in the Chicago Sun Times. Their web page is here.

However, I smell a rat. This organization or website could be a fraud. There were lots of websites and email requests for donations to the 9/11 victims, the Hurricane Katrina victims, etc that were bogus. The fraudsters attempted to prey on public sentiment and ask people to donate. Except that the money never went where it was supposed to go, it went into the fraudsters' pockets.

I DO NOT KNOW if "the National Organization of Hillary Supporters for John McCain" is legitimate or not. Nevertheless, there are plenty of reasons to be concerned. There is no address of the organization's attorney; no trust fund set up at a bank somewhere; no committee of reputable citizens; no phone number to call. The only name associated with the web page is that of Ed Hale, "former Democrat." We only have his word for it that the funds will be spent as described. Even if "Ed Hale" is on the level, we know nothing of his competence to carry out such tasks.

The website asks for donations to be sent via Paypal or to the following P.O. Box:

Hillary Clinton Supporters
for John McCain
P.O. Box 147
Wellington, Tx 79095

The donations are supposedly to pay for an ad in the Chicago Sun Times at some date in the future. However, the ad is little more than a childish rant. What's it supposed to accomplish?

If anyone knows anything about this organization, its website or Ed Hale, please communicate with us so we can determine if the organization is on the level.

UPDATE: There is an Ed Hale in Wellington, Texas. His address and phone number are listed, so he appears to be legit. The only question now is, do you want to trust a complete stranger with your money?