Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama both have collected campaign contributions from donors who list only a name — sometimes gibberish — on the online donation form.
An analysis by The New York Times found that McCain took in about $173,000 from fictitious donors; Obama collected about $314,000. The campaigns have refunded most of the money, according to reports.
“Test Person,” from “Some Place, UT,” gave nearly $2,500 to Obama. A contributor who used the name “Jgtj Jfggjjfgj,” and listed an address of “thjtrj” in “gjtjtjtjtjtjr, AP,” was allowed to give $370 to Obama.
Officials with campaign finance watchdog groups told The Times there was no proof of a widespread problem, but that the issue certainly warranted additional scrutiny.
