Whitney Quick

A "Secret Santa" around the office, friends, and family can be fun. A gift exchange among online friends you haven’t met, well, that’s a little different and carries a heftier consequence.

These gift exchanges, while they look like innocent fun, are really pyramid schemes, and are considered illegal. The “Secret Sister” gift exchange campaign quickly became popular in 2015 through Facebook posts promising participants would receive up to 36 gifts in exchange for sending one gift.

The holidays are all about celebrating what’s good, but that doesn’t mean scammers are taking a vacation. The Better Business Bureau reminds consumers that con artists see busy, over-burdened shoppers as likely targets for their schemes.

Want to turn $500 into $10,000 with very little effort? Of course, you do! Scammers are taking advantage of people’s get-rich-quick dreams by promoting “money flipping” scams on social media, and BBB is seeing dozens of reports each month about these cons.

With millions of people laid off or furloughed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, competition for seasonal employment this holiday season will be fierce. 

Shipping companies and online retailers like Amazon have seen their business boom as the pandemic has driven online shopping through the roof, and it is expected they will hire thousands of seasonal employees this holiday season. Some traditional brick-and-mortar retailers also are hiring seasonal workers. 

In an unpredictable year, one thing is for certain: the 2020 holiday season will be unlike previous years. 

It’s hard to estimate how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact overall holiday spending, but businesses are already making adjustments to their typical holiday plans. Companies are ramping up online shopping and scaling back in-store promotions in an effort to discourage crowds and keep workers safe.