GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Wisconsin Consumer Protection and the Better Business Bureau are warning of a Secret Santa that you don’t want to participate in.
Its called “Secret Sister” and the gift exchange campaign is taking social media by storm.
The idea is to buy a little to get a lot back.
“It is asking users to send one gift valued at $10 dollars or more to your secret sister and promises up to 36 presents, but the twist is that you might be getting yourself involved in a pyramid scheme.”
Michelle Reinen, Director of Consumer Protection says what makes it a pyramid scheme is how the exchange is designed and that the design allows for the original sender to get 36 gifts back in exchange.
“This type of gift exchange can see really reasonable in theory. When you break it down you have six friends that will all invite six more friends and they will all send gifts to the person in that first level spot, she said. “The process repeats itself and then the person in the second level spot will do the same thing so you can see the beginning of the pyramid.
On top of the activity being illegal, Reinen says the activity is also subject to mail fraud.
“The U.S Postal Service would have concerns given that participants could ultimately be subject to penalties for mail fraud because they would be using the mail system in order to transfer these gifts.”
She adds the fact that the original participant’s address is sent to people they don’t know, identity theft is a concern.
“There could also be concern that someone that is part of the scheme could also just be collecting data for future scams and then you will be targeted for those as well.
The Better Business Bureau says if you receive an invite on Facebook, click the three dots at the upper right corner of the post and report the post.
The scam has been dormant since 2015.
