Secret Sister Gift Exchange

Watch Out For the Secret Sister Gift Exchange Scam

You will likely be tagged these days by one of your Facebook friends with an invitation to join a Secret Sister Gift Exchange. If you do, you are promised to receive between 6 and 36 gifts from other registered participants.

This is one of the newest Facebook scams this holiday season, causing many identity theft victims. How does the scam work?

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Watch the video below to see the Secret Sister Gift Exchange scam exposed:

How The Scam Works

The text that you might see on one of your Facebook friend's walls looks like this:

“Are you interested in a Holiday gift exchange? I don't care where you live – you are welcome to join. I need at least six ladies (or gentlemen) of any age to participate in a secret sister gift exchange.

You only have to buy one gift valued at $10 or more and send it to one secret sister, and you will receive 6-36 in return! Let me know if you are interested, and I will send you the information. Please only ask to participate if you are willing to spend the $10.

It is the season! And it's getting closer. Comment if you're in. We can all use a little pick-me-up. So what better way to brighten your day than a surprise gift.”

Here is a screenshot of the Facebook post:

 

The person who tagged you is a friend of yours that you trust, so you might join the list and tag six of your friends in a personal post. If you do that, you will be required to provide all your personal information, including your Social Security Number (“to prove you are the real person who signed up”) and address (“for the participant to know where to send your gifts to”).

Besides being a pyramid scheme concept, this trick will lead to identity theft, which is why it was set for in the first place. According to the National 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.

Secret Sister Gift Exchange Scam: How To Avoid

It's simple: don't get involved. Why would you put all your personal information online in a public space? Christmas time is a one of giving, but not a time of personal information giving.

Here is a list with more holiday scams going around.

Secret Sister Gift Exchange Scam: How To Report

Make your family and friends aware of the Secret Sister Gift Exchange scam by sharing it on social media here. You can also officially report the scammers to Facebook or the Federal Trade Commission using the links below:

Report Scammers To The FTC Here

Report Scammers To Facebook Here

How To Protect Yourself More

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Feel free to explore additional articles on Facebook related fraud. You can find them listed below this paragraph, so that you know more about online security. Last but not least, if you had any bad experiences, make sure to use the comments section below to expose other Facebook scammers.

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