Sen. Richard Blumenthal is warning residents about a scam that he says flourishes during the holiday season.
He says the "Secret Sister" pyramid scheme is making the rounds again, with posts on Facebook promising to send one dozens of presents in exchange for a $10 gift card.
He says that scam, and others like it, are classic examples of consumer fraud.
"Beware of the secret sisterhoods, the gifting tables, the pyramid schemes that involve giving a gift and receiving 30 or 40 in return. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is and it's punishable criminally, and also it's fraught with peril for identity theft," Blumenthal says.
Blumenthal suggests blocking anybody who sends a "Secret Sister" post and reporting it as fraudulent content.