12/6/2023 0 Comments Holiday gift exchange illegalSeldom does anyone drop out because it's so much fun to send a gift to someone you may or may not know. Soon you should receive 36 gifts! What a deal, 36 gifts for giving just one! Be sure to include some information about yourself. You might want to order directly from a web-based service (Amazon, or any other online shop) which saves a trip to the post office. If you cannot complete this within 1 week please notify me, as it isn't fair to the ladies who have participated and are waiting for their own gifts to arrive. Welcome to our secret sister gift exchange! Here's how it works:ġ) Send one gift value at least $10 to secret sister #1 below.Ģ) Remove secret sister's name from #1 then move secret sister #2 to that spot.Ĥ) Then send this info to 6 other ladies with the updated name infoĥ) Copy the secret sister request that I posted on my wall, to your own wall. Many of the postings warned naysayers and skeptics that their objections would be deleted from comment threads: Participants who opted in to the "secret sister" exchange were instructed to send a gift to the first "sister" on the list, move the second on the list to the first spot, and put their own name into the second spot. Posts on Facebook, Reddit, and several forums described a process that involved sending one present (commonly valued at $10) and receiving 36 in return. You will receive little to no money back on your “investment” or gift exchange.įor more information on other scams, visit the BBB ScamTracker.Ĭopyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.In late October 2015, social media users began sending and receiving solicitations to participate in a "secret sisters" gift exchange scheme. No matter what they claim, pyramid schemes will not make you rich. These imposter schemes are false as the government will never endorse illegal activity. Some pyramid schemes try to win your confidence by claiming they’re legal and endorsed by the government. This will open you up to identity theft and other scams. Never give your personal information to strangers.You can report these Facebook posts by clicking in the upper-righthand corner and selecting “report post” or “report photo.” If you receive an invitation to join a pyramid scheme on social media, report it. Stop and ask, is it worth breaking the law? Report it instead to Canadian agencies or to the U.S. Chain letters involving money or valuable items and promise big returns are illegal. Ignore it! Keep in mind that pyramid schemes are international.If someone reaches out to you with this offer on its website, the BBB recommends the following: Postal Inspection Services, these gift exchanges are considered a form of gambling, which leaves participants subject to fines, jail time and even lawsuit for mail fraud. Once people stop participating in the gift exchange, the gift supply stops as well, and leaves hundreds of disappointed people without their promised gifts.”Īccording to the U.S. Just like any other pyramid scheme, it relies on the recruitment of individuals to keep the scam afloat. “The cycle continues and you’re left with buying and shipping gifts for unknown individuals, in hopes that the favor is reciprocated by receiving the promised number of gifts in return. On the BBB website, the organization says: READ: Blessing looms, gifting circles ramping up during pandemic But, according to the Better Business Bureau, it’s illegal - a pyramid scam. Seems fun and who doesn’t like receiving gifts. You are then promised to receive anywhere from 6-36 gifts throughout the holiday season.You then 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.You provide your name and address and personal information of a few additional friends to a list that’s already started of people you’ve never met on the Internet.You receive an invitation to join either by email or social media.Secret Sister social media post (Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)
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