Better Business Bureau warns of gift exchange scams

The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota is warning consumers about gift exchange scams during the holidays.

TheBBB says gift exchanges – like the “Secret Sister” post that’s being shared widely on Facebook – are actually illegal pyramid schemes.

They say the scams are effective in part because it usually starts with someone you trust, so a victim may not think much about it.

The BBB recommends ignoring gift exchange offers on social media and urges consumers to never give out private information online.


Larissa Donovan is the News Director for the stations of Paul Bunyan Broadcasting and has been, almost without interruption, since Election Day 2016. She covers all the beats in north-central Minnesota, such as local government, crime, education, environment and social issues. She studied communications at Bemidji State University. You can follow along with Larissa's live tweets of meetings and events on Twitter!


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