‘Secret sister gift exchange’ warning: It could be a scam

If you haven’t spotted one of these in your feed, a quick Facebook search for “secret sisters gift exchange” will bring up plenty of results.

If you see a friend post about a “secret sister” game, it could be illegal. The message claims that if you purchase a gift for $10 or more and add your name to a list, you’ll receive a cache of 36 presents in return.

But not only is the gift exchange a scam – it’s also illegal.

The posts started showing up on social media sites in October. Everybody else sends you one.

The “Secret Sister Gift Exchange”, which promises participants 36 gifts in exchange for a single small investment, is spreading like wildfire on social media.

Welcome to our secret sister gift exchange!

One the gift is sent, they remove the person’s name that appears at the top of the list and replace them with the second name down. I don’t care where you live – you are welcome to join. “A bunch of junk that you probably don’t want anyway”, Burns said.

Buy one gift? And receive 36? Be sure to include a few information about yourself…a few of your favorites. “I think that’s what most people are thinking-and thinking is a loose term here”. “And what are you gonna get?”

There’s another problem with the gift exchange.

“A lot of friends are doing it, or at least posting about it. Doesn’t sound like a good idea, at all”.

“Recently, high-tech chain letters have begun surfacing. Chain letters are a form of gambling, and sending them through the mail (or delivering them in person or by computer, but mailing money to participate) violates Title 18, United States Code, Section 1302, the Postal Lottery Statute”, the USPS said.

“Participating in a chain letter is a losing proposition”, they added.