HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) — It’s that time of the year for gift exchanges, but the Better Business Bureau is warning people to be cautious of scams.
The “Secret Sister” gift exchange campaign may pop up on your social media pages or in your email.
The posts aim to get people to join an online gift exchange to trade gifts with people you may not know, promising participants can receive up to 36 gifts in exchange for sending one gift. All you have to do is provide your name and address.
“Even if it’s coming from a friend because it does get in your friend’s timelines and then they share it and say, ‘Hey! Let’s do this. It sounds like fun,’ you really don’t want to get involved in it,” Julie Wheeler, President of the BBB serving Western Virginia, said.
The BBB warns that this is a pyramid scheme, which is illegal.
Wheeler adds your promised gifts will never come, and you also run the risk of having your personal information stolen.
If you see these types of posts on your social media pages, Wheeler said you should just ignore them. You can also report the posts to have them taken down.
“Don’t forward it to your friends, don’t by any means send anything. Facebook is international, so you have no idea who’s involved in this, who’s getting your personal information. And, again, you’re not going to get anything for it,” Wheeler said.
If you have already shared one of these posts, Wheeler suggests posting again to let people know it’s a scam. You should also keep an eye on your banking and personal information.
“If you want to do something with your friends, that’s great,” Wheeler said, “Don’t just put it out there as a post. We all want to share and have fun, and everybody loves to get a fun gift, but this is not the way to do it.”
Copyright 2020 WHSV. All rights reserved.
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Better Business Bureau warns of “Secret Sister” gift exchange scam - WHSV
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