How to report price gouging if you see expensive gas, supplies during hurricane
Others try to take advantage of people's desperation with high prices.
In
They will remain in place until the state of emergency ends, some time after the storm.
In the meanwhile, anyone who suspects price gouging -- businesses charging thousands of dollars to remove a single fallen tree or rent out a hotel room,
"My office is here to protect North Carolinians from scams and frauds," Attorney General
Anyone found guilty of price gouging can be forced to refund customers who were scammed, and can also be forced to pay a
To officially report price gouging or simply learn more about what might qualify, go to https://www.ncdoj.gov/disasters.aspx or call 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.
That website link also has information for people who want to report charity scams or con artists posing as insurance adjusters.
Meanwhile, for people who evacuated to neighboring states like
Not all states ban price gouging, but all the states that border
In
However, while price gouging laws are politically popular, some economists and politicians oppose them as bad policy that actually makes shortages worse during emergencies.
Opponents of price gouging laws argue that if businesses could charge higher prices there would not be shortages, since gas stations and grocery stores would be charging higher prices and thus less likely to run out of supplies. The theory is that people would buy only what they need instead of hoarding, and there would be more bread, gas, ice and other supplies to go around.
"If prices are allowed to rise as the demand increases, this 'hoarding' behavior will become increasingly more expensive and therefore discouraged," wrote economist
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