Participants who opted in to the "secret sister" exchange were instructed to send a gift to the first "sister" on the list, move the second on the list to the first spot, and put their own name into the second spot. Posts on Facebook, Reddit, and several forums described a process that involved sending one present (commonly valued at $10) and receiving 36 in return. Because even they will be more reliable than this.In late October 2015, social media users began sending and receiving solicitations to participate in a "secret sisters" gift exchange scheme. So if you're itching to do a secret gift exchange this year, pass on the virtual ones and go back to drawing names with Cousin Patty or the person who reheats fish in the break room at work. According to Forbes, some people who join the Secret Sister Gift Exchange may receive one gift, but those would be the rare exception. That's right, most participants in such formats never receive a single gift on their doorstep, due to the aforementioned mathematical fallout. But according to the Better Business Bureau, you could face penalties for mail fraud, and is that a game you really want to play when the odds are good you won't even receive one single gift in return, much less 30? Will you be thrown in jail for accidentally getting roped into a pyramid scheme? Probably not. Regardless of what technology is used to advance the scheme, if the mail is used at any step along the way, it is still illegal."
They may be disseminated over the internet, or may require the copying and mailing of computer disks rather than paper. "Recently, high-tech chain letters have begun surfacing. The USPIS statement continues on to address more modern forms of chain letters such as the Secret Sister Gift Exchange. Chain letters are a form of gambling, and sending them through the mail violates Title 18, United States Code, Section 1302, the Postal Lottery Statute." Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) website noted that chain letters are "Illegal if they request money or other items of value and promise a substantial return to the participants. So those “gifts” you could be getting for Christmas might also get you a nice little misdemeanor for Boxing Day. As the fact-checking website Snopes has pointed out, this form of chain mail is actually illegal and I don't just mean for the organizers, I mean for the participants as well. The 11th round requires everyone in the United States to join in if the promise is to be fulfilled."Īnd it's not just the math that's faulty, it's the method, too. The ninth level requires you to recruit all of Houston and the Washington Metro area combined - and you still wouldn’t have enough participants. "Upon reaching the sixth level of participation, you’d have to attract more recruits than could be seated in Wrigley Field. "Consider a typical pyramid that involves six individuals in the chain," the post reads. Postal Inspection Service tried to put an end to the Secret Sister gift hoax by breaking down the numbers for the public in a Facebook post. The scheme doesn't actually hold up mathematically - not even a little. However, even if you were interested in joining holiday fraud du jour, this "secret sister gift exchange" is simply not going to work. They might have asked you to “join their team” selling whitening toothpastes a few dozen times, luring you with the trips to Hawaii they’ve won by “becoming an independent diamond-level contractor” for whatever MLM they’re in.īeyond that, who the heck wants six to 30 gifts that strangers pick? You know that if you do get anything in the mail, you’ll end up getting something weird like a car charger or bubble gum flavored personal lubricant. Chances are, the same person who posted this also sells essential oils, and possibly supplements. Just a little bit of guilt and reverse psychology to send it home. (Please don’t ask to participate if you are not willing to spend the $10) Let me know if you’re interested and I will send you the information. The popular post currently circulating reads something like this, with detailed instructions following after: Anyone interested in a secret sister gift exchange? It doesn’t matter where you live! You only have to buy ONE gift valued at $10 or more and send it to one secret sister! You will get 6-36 in return. The Secret Sister Gift Exchange first began making headlines in 2015, so this is actually the fifth holiday season we've been putting up with this bologna.
Holiday gift exchange facebook full#
Must we do this every year? If you’re unfamiliar with the idea, let me let you in on a little secret: the Secret Sister Gift Exchange on Facebook is not real, and it's not full of the holiday spirit like many think. Oh holy social media, the Secret Sister Gift Exchange/holiday pyramid scheme is back again.
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