'Secret sister' Facebook scam tricks users into spending money on fake gifts

A Facebook scam is doing the rounds that seeks to trick unwary users into spending money on fake Christmas gifts.
Known as the "Secret Sister Gift Exchange", the hoax encourages people to buy one $10 gift for another user, and get between six and 36 gifts in return.
The wording of the scam varies, but in many cases it calls on "ladies of any age" to participate and "spread some positivity".

"You only have to buy ONE gift valued at $10 or more and send it to ONE secret sister,” it states. "Afterwards you will receive 6-36 fits in return!! It all depends how many ladies join."

The scam seems to be predominantly circulating in the US, but the global nature of Facebook means these things have a habit of crossing the pond.
Police have advised users to be wary of the scam, and report the messages to Facebook if they appear in their news feeds.

"Don't fall for the post popping up on your news feed about a secret sister gift exchange – it’s a scam and illegal," one US police department wrote on Facebook.

"This scam circulated Facebook heavily last year and is making the rounds again this holiday season."
Some have labelled it a pyramid scheme, while the United States Post Office considers it a chain letter - which is a form of gambling, and therefore illegal.

"We're just seeing this on Facebook this time instead of the old way of using letters, and Facebook allows it to spread a lot faster," said Kelli Burns, mass communications instructor at the University of South Florida.

 Facebook has become a popular way for cyber criminals to circulate scams and hoaxes in recent years. With Black Friday coming up, users need to be extra vigilant about offers that appear too good to be true.

"A lot of these fake offers will try to lure you in with promises of winning free gifts. If you've never heard of the company, or if the known company's logo looks slightly different in some way, get out of there," said Nick Shaw, vice president and general manager of Norton EMEA.

"You might also receive emails or texts about this year's hot or hard-to-get gift items that will lead you to rogue websites. These scams can also show up on social networking sites like Facebook too."