The Circle Game scam: how the $100 "gifting" board works
Quick answer
The Circle Game (also called Blessing Loom, Money Board or Mandala Game) is a chain letter-type pyramid scheme. It asks you to pay $100 and recruit others for a payout. The FTC says you're virtually guaranteed to lose your money. Don't pay, warn the friend who sent it, and report it at ftc.gov/complaint.
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Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
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How it works
The FTC describes this as an online scam that promises a big return for a modest investment. It goes by many names, including the Circle Game, Blessing Loom, Money Board, Mandala Game, Blessing Circle, Infinity Loom and Giving Circle.
It usually arrives as a post or direct message on Instagram, Facebook or another social platform, often from someone you know. In the version the FTC heard about most, you send $100 through PayPal or another digital payment service to the person whose name sits at the center of an octagon-shaped playing board. Your payment buys one of eight spots on the outer ring. To move toward the center, you recruit other people to join.
If it works as promised, you land in the center and collect $100 from each of eight new recruits, for $800 in total. Then you leave or start over with another $100.
The catch is the money. Like other pyramid schemes, these chain letters depend on recruiting new people to keep cash flowing in. No products are sold and no real investment is producing profits. Once players run out of new recruits, the money dries up and everyone still waiting to reach the center gets nothing.
People promoting it often frame it as a gift or a blessing for someone else. The FTC's warning sign is simple: a promise that you'll make money by paying in yourself and recruiting others to do the same.
Sources checked: consumer.ftc.gov
Last verified against the official page:
Red flags
- You're asked to send money, often $100, to a stranger to get a spot on a "board", "circle" or "loom"
- The payout depends on recruiting other people, not on a product or service
- A big return for a small payment, such as $800 for $100
- The pitch comes from a friend or family member who is excited and in a hurry
- It's described as a gift, a blessing or a way to help others
- Payment goes through PayPal or another digital payment service to someone you've never met
Example message
Hi! Join our Blessing Circle. Send $100 to the name in the middle of the board with [payment app], get one of 8 spots, and when you reach the center you receive $800. Invite your friends to move up. Spots are filling fast, DM me to get the board [link].
What to do
- 1
Don't pay and don't recruit
The FTC says that if an offer promises you'll make money by paying in and recruiting others, it's a scam. Paying or inviting friends is how it spreads.
- 2
Warn the person who sent it
If the offer came from a friend or family member, tell them what the FTC says: these games are pyramid schemes and most people lose their money.
- 3
If you already paid, report it
The FTC asks anyone who paid to join one of these games to tell them at ftc.gov/complaint. Your report can help protect others. Keep screenshots of the messages, the board and your payment receipt.
- 4
Contact your payment service or bank
Tell the payment app or your bank what happened and ask what options you have. Don't count on getting the money back.
- 5
Check your accounts if you shared details
If you gave out a login, phone number or other personal details while joining, change those passwords and turn on two-step verification. The FTC's identity theft site, IdentityTheft.gov, walks you through next steps.
Report it
Check if your details are exposed with Serus
Scammers find your number and address on data brokers and people-search sites. Serus removes them.
Why you got it
These offers often come from someone in your own friend list, or from an account that found you through public profiles and groups. Scammers and recruiters also use contact details pulled from people-search sites and data breaches to reach people directly. Serus finds the data brokers that list your phone number, address and email and removes them, and alerts you when your details show up in a breach, so fewer strangers can reach you. Our data broker guides explain how that works.
Official alerts
Frequently asked
Is the Circle Game legal?
The FTC calls it a chain letter-type pyramid scheme and a scam. It relies on recruiting new people for money to keep flowing in, with no real product or investment behind it.
What other names does it go by?
The FTC lists the Circle Game, Blessing Loom, Money Board, Mandala Game, Blessing Circle, Infinity Loom and Giving Circle, and says there are other names too.
Can I make money if I join early?
The FTC says you're virtually guaranteed to lose your money, or pull in friends and family who lose theirs. When recruits run out, everyone still waiting for a payout gets nothing.
What if a friend invited me?
Don't pay, and warn them. The FTC advises telling friends and family who bring you the offer that it's a scam.
Sources
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