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Show Beware of Surplus Items The phone rings, and someone at the other end says, "Hello. I have some government surplus office supplies I'm willing to let you have at a discount price. The government program that used them before went out of existence. exist-ence. You realize, of course, that since you get some government funding, it's too your advantage to use these supplies." The General Services Administration Adminis-tration (GSA) warns that what this caller says isn't true. While GSA does sell surplus government govern-ment office equipment, such as old desks and typewriters, office supplies pens, pencils an paper are passed on lo other government agencies. They are not sold as surplus. Although these vendors generally gene-rally delier the supplies you order, they are not necessarily sold at a bargain price. In some cases, organizations have found that the prices are even higher than those of regular office suppliers. If you or your Organization should receive a call like this, tell the caller y'ou need time to decide, then ask for a number to call back. In many cases you will not be given one. See if you can get the name and address of the caller, and ask where they got your name. If the caller tries to pressure or threaten you, hang up. If the caller represents him or herself as a GSA employee, check with your nearest GSA Federal Information Center listed under "U.S. Government" in the telephone directory. |