I recently received an e-mail from PetitionOnline.com, thanking me for my donation of $1.00 via my Amazon.com account.
This came as a bit of a surprise: I don’t believe I’ve ever before heard of PetitionOnline. I had no idea that an Amazon account included the possibility of online donations, or indeed was anything more than a way to look for and occasionally buy books (and other stuff).
I signed on to Amazon and there, among charges for a couple of books I ordered, is indeed record of a $1 donation. How it got there is a mystery to me.
I checked PetitionOnline’s website, and they appear to be an outfit that provides what might be termed online “petition hosting.” But I’d swear I’ve never come across them before, and I have zero recollection of making a $1 donation to them or anyone else.
Can anyone enlighten me as to what’s happening here? Could someone else have authorized this donation on my behalf, without my knowledge? Could this be some sort of scam? For a dollar?