Thinking about joining the Secret Sister Gift Exchange that’s popping up all over Facebook? Don’t — it’s a scam

A social media “Secret Santa” gift swap sounds like a neat idea for a stay-at-home pandemic Christmas. Especially one that promises to put you ahead by more than two dozen items.

But keep in mind that old saying: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The adage applies to the Secret Sister Gift Exchange, which reportedly has circulated far and wide on Facebook and other social-media platforms this month. It’s literally a scam — a pyramid scheme.

The con, which has been around for at least five years, “starts with a convincing invitation, either by email or social media to sign up for what seems like a great, fun program,” warns a recent Better Business Bureau alert. “All you must do is provide your name and address and personal information of a few additional friends, and tack this information on to a list that’s already started of people you’ve never met on the Internet. Next, it’s your turn to send an email or social-media invitation to send a modest gift or bottle of wine to a stranger along with their friends, family and contacts.”

The initial fraudulent invitation sometimes introduces itself as “happy mail” or cheerfully claims the gift exchange is “for the good of the sisterhood.”

How does it all play out? Writes the BBB:

“The cycle continues and you’re left with buying and shipping gifts for unknown individuals, in hopes that the favor is reciprocated by receiving the promised number of gifts in return. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen. Just like any other pyramid scheme, it relies on the recruitment of individuals to keep the scam afloat. Once people stop participating in the gift exchange, the gift supply stops as well, and leaves hundreds of disappointed people without their promised gifts.”

Below is an example of how the invitation might look, per the fact-checking website Snopes. This is just an example: The lure regularly evolves, with different wording and names.

Welcome to our secret sister gift exchange! Here’s how it works:

1) Send one gift valued at least $10 to secret sister #1 below.

2) Remove secret sister’s name from #1; then move secret sister #2 to that spot.

3) Add your name to #2 with your info.

4) Then send this info to 6 other ladies with the updated name info.

5) Copy the secret sister request that I posted on my wall, to your own wall. If you cannot complete this within 1 week please notify me, as it isn’t fair to the ladies who have participated and are waiting for their own gifts to arrive. 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. Soon you should receive 36 gifts! What a deal, 36 gifts for giving just one! Be sure to include some information about yourself … some of your favorites. Seldom does anyone drop out because it’s so much fun to send a gift to someone you may or may not know … and of course it’s fun to receive. You should begin receiving gifts in about 2 weeks if you get your letters out to your 6 people right away.

Pyramid schemes such as the Secret Sister Gift Exchange are illegal. They’re also, as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service points out, “mathematically impossible.”

If the Secret Sister scam or something similar pops up in your Facebook feed, you should click on the site’s “report post” icon. Also, remember: Never give out personal information to strangers — and even Facebook friends, especially if you don’t know them from the “real” world, can count as strangers. Welcome to the holiday season.