Beware of the “Secret Sister Gift Exchange” scam that’s going around Facebook
One of the most exciting parts of the holiday season is the exchanging of gifts. A popular way to give and receive presents with your friends and family is taking part in a Secret Santa program. BUT! Beware of some of the Secret Santa-like gift exchange ideas floating around on Facebook, though, especially one called Secret Sister Gift Exchange, because it’s nothing more than a downright scam.
You’ve probably seen a friend, or a friend of a friend, post something on Facebook about a Secret Sister Gift Exchange, which seems like a fun way to connect with women across the country and exchange bottles of yummy wine. The blurb says it doesn’t matter where you live, as long as you’re a lover of wine you can benefit from this friendly exchange.
It’s meant to go something like this: You send in one gift that’s $10 or more, and you get 6-36 gifts in return. If it sounds too good to be true to you, that’s because it is. It’s a pyramid scheme, and the Better Business Bureau reminded everyone in a statement that this kind of exchange is illegal.
“According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s gambling and pyramid scheme laws, gift chains like this are illegal and participants could be subject to penalties for mail fraud.”
There’s a wine version of the Secret Sister Gift Exchange floating around as well. It claims that, if you send in one bottle of wine that costs $15 or more, you’ll get between 6-36 bottles in return.
ATTENTION! FB Christmas scam!
Two scams called the “Secret Sister Gift Exchange” and the “Secret Wine Bottle... https://t.co/cD6SdQGdox— Lisa Barger (@mizz_lisa) December 9, 2016
Golly, don’t we wish that were true! Not only is this a pyramid scheme, but you also might be inadvertently getting yourself into trouble, because there are some specific laws about shipping alcohol. The USPS doesn’t even allow it.
No matter how appealing it sounds, don’t buy into this scam. Just go old school and create your own Secret Santa group with people you know.
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