How honest are ads touting “federal government surplus” sales?
Advertisements touting access to little-known sources of federal government property are simply selling the names and addresses of the federal government agencies, which you can get from the federal government or by contacting the agency’s local or regional office. Furthermore, the information sold by these businesses may not be accurate or up-to-date. Information about federal sales programs is available for free or at low cost from the federal government. Another scam involves military jeeps. In 1971, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommended that the M151 series Jeep vehicle not be sold to the public because it was unfit for public use. Businesses that sell the “secrets” of buying surplus military property often claim to be able to teach you (for $19.95) how to buy surplus military jeeps. They neglect to tell you that the M151 cannot be driven by the public and that older jeep models, such as the World War II M38, are virtually nonexistent today.
