If you have seen the following post on Facebook, and thought it might be a good idea, keep reading.

🎄SECRET SISTER is back! I am looking for ladies interested in a holiday gift exchange. Doesn’t matter where you live - you are welcome to join. You have to buy one gift valued of at least $10 and send it to your secret sis. (Hello, Amazon!) you will then hopefully receive gifts in return depending on the response when you post on your FB page!

It will be fun sending a gift to a complete stranger knowing that she would have a bright spot in her day because of what I sent 🎁

Let me know if you’re interested, and I will send you information about your sister.

We could all use some happy mail! Who’s in? I tagged a few I thought might be interested, but anyone is welcome to join the fun! Just comment “I’m in” 🎄🎁.

I have done this before and it is fun! It’s great to receive Amazon packages at your door that you didn’t order or pay for!!! Please join in! Comment “I’m in.”

Posts like this can be very convincing, especially when your actual friends are posting it. Personally, I have enough junk around the house, I certainly don't want random stuff sent to me from strangers. I really don't want to waste money buying a gift for someone that I've never met. There are plenty of charities that need donations and gifts. Here's the deal: This is a pyramid scheme that can only keep going, if new people are constantly recruited. Once people stop sending gifts, there is a very good chance that you will be left with no surprise gifts in the mail. If your office does a gift exchange, I suggest getting in on that, so you don't get caught up in some sort of mail fraud!

So, what should you do if you think something might be a scam?

  • Ignore it! Keep in mind that pyramid schemes are international. Chain letters involving money or valuable items and promise 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 hand 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 try to win your confidence by claiming they’re legal and endorsed by the government. These imposter schemes are false as the government will never endorse illegal activity. No matter what they claim, pyramid schemes will not make you rich. You will receive little to no money back on your “investment” or gift exchange.
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