Attorney General Jeff Jackson has urged North Carolinians to report any instances of price gouging as the state's price gouging law is now in effect. This follows Governor Josh Stein's declaration of a state of emergency due to impending winter weather. The law prohibits businesses from charging excessively high prices during emergencies. Residents can report suspected price gouging to the Department of Justice by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or visiting www.ncdoj.gov/pricegouging.
"As the winter weather rolls in this week, stay safe and watch out for scammers trying to take advantage of consumers by jacking up their prices," said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. "If you think a business might be raising costs unlawfully, don’t hesitate to reach out to my office to file a complaint. We’ll look into it and take action to hold price gougers accountable."
Businesses may need to increase prices due to rising costs and industry impacts from critical incidents, but they cannot raise prices unreasonably for profit without informing customers beforehand.
The price gouging law is activated when the governor declares a state of emergency. It is currently active under both the winter weather state of emergency and the Hurricane Helene state of emergency. Nearly 500 complaints related to hurricane recovery have been received by the office. In December, a lawsuit was filed against a tree removal company accused of overcharging a Hendersonville couple $25,500.
More information on preparing for winter weather can be found online.