You've probably seen the posts on your newsfeed over the past few weeks about a "Secret Sister" gift exchange. The post is like a traditional chain letter. It says that if you mail a gift (valued at $10) you'll receive 36 gifts in the mail. That sounds great, right? Unfortunately, it turns out that it is pyramid scheme, and it may even be illegal, according to authorities.

How does the exchange work?

The "exchange" is organized through Facebook groups. You've probably seen a few of your friends posts about it on their own feeds already. It's sort of like a copy and paste chain letter.

The post encourages you to send a small gift (valued at around $10) to a person whose name and address is at the top of a long list of participants. After the gift is sent, you'd remove the person at the top of the list. That person is replaced with the person in the second slot.

You're told to add your own name to the second slot, and add six other people to the list. The invitations to join the exchange claim that you could receive up to 36 gifts as more people join the exchange.

What's the problem with this "exchange"?

For starters: the exchange is mathematically impossible. I guess you could say it's the very definition of a traditional pyramid scheme.

Of course, the "exchange" could also be illegal. In fact, it's be illegal on two fronts. It's against Facebook's terms of use and this "scheme" could be deemed illegal with the United States Postal Service.

For the USPS, this falls under their regulations about chain letters. Chain letters are "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 delivering them in person or by computer, but mailing money to participate) violates Title 18, United States Code, Section 1302, the Postal Lottery Statute," the USPS says.

Many question if the USPS would actually prosecute over a $10 gift being mailed, but a law is a law, of course.

By participating in the "exchange" your Facebook account could technically be shut down. That means there'd be no more Candy Crush for you. “It’s against Facebook’s terms of agreement. So there’s the potential that Facebook, if they got wind of this, could block your account,” University of South Florida mass communications instructor Kelli Burns told WFLA-TV.

I've seen many friends on Facebook remark that they still want to parcipate in a gift exchange.  It's always nice to get a gift when you're an adult. If that's the case, I'd recommend that you maybe try creating a "Secret Santa" with your own network of friends. There are TONS of websites that will help you with that process (like Elfster and Draw Names).You may not receive 36 gifts, but I agree, it is always nice to get a gift when you're an adult.

And if you're still looking to get lucky this holiday season, that's OK! Enter to win our Christmas Cash contest below! We're giving away $1,000 on-air every workday in November, and $10,000 online this month. That's a great way to kick off the holiday season!


NEXT: Life Hacks - Feeding a Picky Pet

 

More From 92.7 WOBM