A social media sensation lives up to the adage that if something appears too good to be true, it probably is.
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The post goes on to promise that by sending just one $10 gift to one person, you’ll receive 36 such gifts in exchange from 36 other people. But these types of pyramid schemes have existed for much longer than Facebook has, and they’re scams, the Independent reports; their newfound resurgence has led to many a news article with headlines like “Viral “gift exchange” chain letter delivers false promises”. You only have to purchase ONE gift valued at $10 or more and send it to ONE secret sister and you will receive 36 gifts in return!!! In order to get on the list and have a stranger theoretically send you a gift, you have to give out your personal information.
You send your gift to the person in the number one spot and bump the number two person to the top of the list. “Doesn’t make sense”, she explained.
Also, it’s illegal! Asking for items of value in exchange for a substantial return (like getting 36 gifts for the price of one) is considered a form of gambling. “A couple of my friends are participating”, Burns said.
But as the Washington Post points out, the Secret Sisters Exchange is just a modern version of an old pyramid or chain letter scheme.
Not only are pyramid schemes like this one mathematically impossible (the list of theoretical participants multiplies into billions of people a few steps into the scheme), they’re also against Facebook’s terms of use, and are illegal in some countries, including the US. Soon you should receive 36 gifts! And what are you gonna get?
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“You might want to order directly from a web-based service (Amazon, or any other online shop) which saves a trip to the post office”, the post said.
