Here’s How to Report Price Gouging If You See It
With necessities flying off the shelves and being sold at ridiculous prices, some states are starting to take action on this price gouging.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has officially issued a price gouging alert in response to the absurd sales of items due to the issue at hand.
“Communities throughout our state are working to prevent and treat this public health threat,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Californians shouldn’t have to worry about being cheated while dealing with the effects of COVID-19. Our state’s price gouging law protects people impacted by an emergency from illegal price gouging on medical supplies, food, gas, and other essential supplies.”
Now stores and individuals are not allowed to charge more than 10% higher in prices of the items from before this national emergency.
Those found guilty of price gouging are receiving up to one year in a county jail and/or up to a fine of $10,000, as well as up to $5,000 per violation.
How to Report Price Gouging If You See It
If you are on Amazon, you can report the price gouging right on the Amazon website while you are viewing the item. It looks like this:
If you are in a store, snap a photo of the product and its price tag with your phone and contact your state attorney general’s office.
To quickly determine how best to file a complaint, you can search “[Your state] price gouging” or “[Your State] attorney general + price gouging.”
After filing a complaint, you probably won’t hear anything further from your state Attorney General’s office. Instead of following up on individual claims, these offices usually focus on curbing illegal activity and following trends that can help educate consumers.
Stay safe out there, and report anyone violating laws and taking advantage of these hard times.
