> It's a scam. There are different variations, but typically when you call they give you a line like "So glad you called! Almost nobody has registered yet, there will be amazing deals!" or similar pitches to make your fear of missing out override your critical thinking skills. Then they collect all your personal and bank information so they can pre-clear you to bid at the auction. Then there is no auction, the hotel's never heard of them, but on Monday your bank calls you about suspicious charges, account withdrawals, etc.

From another comment on the same thread:

> I know someone who went to one. Slightly different and less “criminal.” But they showed up and you had to pay like $50 to get inside. Once inside, it’s basically like a flea market. There are auctions for the good shit (cars, Rolex, etc.) but they’re all fake auctions and whoever wins these are people on the inside. So you basically pay $50 plus whatever you buy inside for some cheap shit

And another:

> Huge scam - I went to the auction 6 months ago after similar signs advertised an estate sale with Ferraris, Picasso, etc. it was held In a hotel ballroom which is already a huge red flag because you can’t verify where the stuff is coming from. The goods they had were mostly lithographs, not originals, from various famous artists which are normally worth somewhere between a few hundred or a couple thousand dollars for rare editions but these “auctioneers” would talk up the items as if they were originals worth hundreds of thousands or millions and really sucker people into bidding high numbers. Sometimes when a bit was low, the auctioneer a call at a higher number even though I didn’t see anyone raise their hand which is an illegal practice to artificially inflate the bid. I left soon there after. Avoid this like the plague.

It's a scam. Real products, fake bidders. Fake products, real bidders. or just plain old scammy lead gen/info harvesting. If you're lucky, all three.

If youre looking for government asset auctions, check out govdeals theres some cool shit to be had(you can buy TSA Confiscated knives)

[deleted]

No problem. So, it's a scam. Enjoy your weekend!

Someone got busted for a crime. Their possessions were seized and are now being auctioned off. It's not shady. It's common.

Edit: this sign may or may not be legit. Anyone who says they know for certain can kindly provide insight.