Social-media gift exchanges are pyramid schemes

Social-media gift exchanges are pyramid schemes
                        

A "Secret Santa" around the office or with friends and family can be fun. A gift exchange among online friends you haven’t met, well, that’s a little different and carries a heftier consequence. These gift exchanges, while they look like innocent fun, are really pyramid schemes and are considered illegal.

The “Secret Sister” gift-exchange campaign quickly became popular in 2015 through Facebook posts promising participants would receive up to 36 gifts in exchange for sending one gift. Each holiday season the scheme pops back up. A newer version of this scam revolves around exchanging bottles of wine; another suggests purchasing $10 gifts online. You might see references to receiving "happy mail" or doing the exchange "for the good of the sisterhood."

2020’s spin on this scam begins with “If there’s ever been a year we need random fun presents to come in the mail, it's 2020” and then includes “and Grinches who say this is a scam, it's 2020. That's my excuse for everything.”

Remember, scammers are smart and know what to say to get you to do what they want. So don’t do it.

The scheme starts with a convincing invitation, either by email or social media to sign up for what seems like a fun program. All you must do is provide your name, address and personal information of a few additional friends and tack this information on to a list that’s already started of people you’ve never met on the internet. Next, it’s your turn to send an email or social-media invitation to send a modest gift or bottle of wine to a stranger along with their friends, family and contacts.

The cycle continues, and you’re left with buying and shipping gifts for unknown individuals, in hopes the favor is reciprocated by receiving the promised number of gifts in return. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen. Just like any other pyramid scheme, it relies on the recruitment of individuals to keep the scam afloat. Once people stop participating in the gift exchange, the gift supply stops as well and leaves hundreds of disappointed people without their promised gifts.

Remember, pyramid schemes are illegal in the U.S. The U.S. Postal Inspection Services said these gift exchanges are considered a form of gambling and that participants could be subject to penalties such as jail time, fines or a lawsuit for mail fraud.

There is another layer of danger to participating in these schemes. When signing up, the alleged campaign organizer is asking for personal information such as a mailing address or an email. With just a few pieces of information, cyber thieves could expose you to future scams or commit identity theft.

The next time someone promises a bounty of gifts or cash by mail, email or social media, BBB recommends the following:

Ignore it. Chain letters involving money or valuable items and promising big returns are illegal. Stop and ask, is it worth breaking the law? Report it instead to the U.S. Postal Inspection Services.

Report social-media posts. If you receive an invitation to join a pyramid scheme on social media, report it. You can report these Facebook posts by clicking in the upper-right corner and selecting “report post” or “report photo.”

Never give your personal information to strangers. This will open you up to identity theft and other scams.

Be wary of false claims. Some pyramid schemes claim they’re legal and endorsed by the government. Regardless of the claims, these schemes fall short of their grand promises.

More information on scams is available by visiting BBB Scam Tips. Become an advocate by reporting scams to BBB Scam Tracker.

For more holiday tips, visit the BBB Holiday Tips page.

Visit www.bbb.org/canton or call 330-454-9401 to look up a business, file a complaint, write a customer review, read tips, follow on social media and more.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load