Ho-Ho-Hoax: A Facebook Seasonal Scam

December 13, 2016

Deck the halls with scams of folly, fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la. Tis’ the season for people to be naughty, fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la. Not if we can help you here though, fa-la la la la la la~! Welcome back now to #TechTuesday, fa-la-la la la….

Time to step down, Michael Buble. There’s a new sensation in town. But until my singing career takes off, welcome back again to #TechTuesday! This week, we want to bring you something seasonal with an update on a major scam spreading around on Facebook and other social media.

Scammer Claus

As always around this time of year, its time to break out the mistletoe and tangled lights and get them set up around your house. While some people are busying themselves with Christmas shopping and late decorating, others have been relaxing behind their computers cashing in on the seasonal hoax that circulates social media every year. Known by names such as “Secret Santa” or “Secret Sister”, this little scam has a longevity that has allowed it to crop up over the web every year without fail.

The premise of the hoax is simple. You get tagged by a “friend” whom has fallen for this scam, and you are asked to submit your name and address to a list in a message, to be added with everyone else on the list. Then, you’re expected to buy a $10 gift that you send out somewhere, and receive up to 36 gifts in return, all for nothing! All in good spirits and the joy of the holiday giving season, right?! Not quite. See, this scam has been tracked by police departments around the country, almost always resulting in people just blindly selling off their information, paying $10, and getting…nothing for it.

See, while you might see some posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or other platforms saying that people have gotten gifts…these are fakes. The Secret Sister is an age old scam that is actually illegal in the US, as addressed by the U.S. Postal Service. It is essentially the latest version of a chain letter hoax that pops up for years. It once was popular in snail mail, but it was considered gambling and therefore against the rules of the US Postal Service regulations. In the past, someone would get a letter asking them to mail a small amount of money to a person at the top of the list. The idea was, eventually, your name would be on top and get a huge return on investment. In the past, you essentially just lost money. Now, its the same, but with gifts. Its a pyramid scheme, where eventually, everything builds up to a tip…one person.

Besides the obvious dangers and losses from just blindly sending out gifts, we feel that you should probably always consider the main dangers of just throwing your personal information out on the web. Identity theft, endangering your family, threats, stalkers…putting your information out there to people you don’t know is a majorly bad habit for personal security in a cyber world. If you want to trade some gifts, set something up with your family, friends, or your co-workers, people you know and see all the time. It will be far more rewarding.

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