HOAX: "Secret Sister" Gift Exchange Online Being Called A Scam!

#1 Are You In On The Sisterly Love Gift Exchange?

Well, we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's a scam! Here's an Instagram post inviting users to participate in the gift exchanging scheme. If it sounds to good to be true, rest assured, it is!

#2 Posts Like This Are Popping Up On Instagram, Pintrest, and Facebook.

If you've been on Facebook or Instagram recently, you may have noticed a fun little game going around among your friends. How could anyone turn down this wonderful offer? Well, Federal officials are looking into the gifting game as it appears to be a huge holiday rip-off!

#3 You Just Purchase 1 Gift Valued At $10.00 For Your "Secret Sister." Or Send Cash!

The game, which is taking over social media, is an online gift exchange called "Secret Sister." It promises that if you buy one gift for a stranger, you in turn will receive as many as 36 gifts back. You send in the game leader your $10.00 and then that person will distribute the gifts as the money rolls in.

#4 Your Chances Of Having 36 Gifts Delivered To Your Door Are Slim to None!

Officials are warning that an invitation to exchange gifts with "Secret Sisters" is just a scam. According to Snopes.com, the messages first appeared on Facebook, Pinterest and other sites in early October. The posts explained every participant would receive 36 gifts if they sent one gift valued at $10 or more.

#5 Naturally, People Are Anxious To Sign On For Their 36 Free Gifts.

Here is one example of a recent posting advertising the hoax.

#6 Secret Sisters Are Promised All Sorts Of Surprise Packages Containing Amazing Items.

Not only will your secret sister almost certainly not get you anything. That type of hoax is also illegal. It is against the law to request money or other items of value and promise a substantial return to participants. Despite the luxurious gift packages they advertise online, nothing is guaranteed.

#7 The Exchange Is Similar To The Old Chain Letter Scheme From Years Ago.

Sound familiar? That's because it's a pyramid scheme we've all been warned about by organizations like the Better Business Bureau for decades.

The exchange is essentially the online version of the old chain letter scam.

#8 A New Twist On An Old Game.

"The old chain letter scam in new clothing using new social media to help propagate that scam," Better Business Bureau North Alabama President Elizabeth Garcia said in an interview with WAAY-TV. "Any type of chain letter regardless of the media is illegal, especially when it asks for money, so, we would advise if you see this post or if you get this from one of your friends on Facebook or other social media, just disregard it, don't click it or look at it."

#9 Are People Really Getting These Secret Gift deliveries?

Now, we know what you might be thinking -- "But my friend posted they actually did receive a gift, what about that?" As the game has become more and more popular, many social media users have posted that they have started receiving gifts from their "secret sister." One FB user claims she received over 25 gift packages already, including gift cards, floral arrangements, and beauty products.

#10 Some Schemers Actually Send Out A Few Items As "Seeds" To Help Promote The Game Further and Garner More Payers.

People are claiming that random gifts are just showing up at their doorstep! "Often what real perpetrators of these schemes will do is plant seeds in the whole program where one or two people actually do receive a substantial amount of money or a number of gifts so then they build the buzz and spread the word," Garcia said.

#11 US Postal Trying To Warn Americans About The Scam.

As enticing as the exchange and 36 gifts sound, remember these gift chains are illegal, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's gambling and pyramid scheme laws. It's illegal if they request money or other items of value and promise a substantial return to the participants. Chain letters are a form of gambling, and sending them through the mail or the internet is virtually the same thing, according to The US Postal Services.