Be on the lookout for price gouging as another winter storm impacts the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Sunday and Monday.
“Winter weather is no excuse for price gouging,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in issuing a consumer alert warning to New York consumers and businesses about price gouging. “As New Yorkers prepare for another snowstorm, my office is on the lookout for those trying to take advantage of consumers with excessive price hikes. I encourage everyone to be vigilant and report examples of price gouging in their community to my office.”
In addition to New York, other states in the storm area that have price-gouging laws are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.
Price-gouging laws prohibit businesses from taking unfair advantage of consumers by selling goods or services that are vital to health, safety, or welfare for an excessive price during emergencies.
To identify price gouging, a government usually checks things such as:
- The amount of the price increase.
- The timing of the price increase.
- The reason the seller has increased the price.
- If a state of emergency has been declared the governor.
When reporting price gouging to an attorney general’s office, consumers should:
- Report the specific increased prices, dates, and places that they saw the increased prices.
- Provide copies of their sales receipts and photos of the advertised prices, if available.
To find out how to contact your attorney general’s office, go to https://www.naag.org/find-my-ag/.
