Because of the state of emergency declared by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Debbie, the state’s price gouging law is in effect.
Attorney General Josh Stein said the declaration makes it illegal to charge too much for goods and services in times of a crisis, and while sometimes businesses and industries that are heavily impacted have a reasonable need to increase prices in order to resupply, they can’t unreasonably raise the prices to profit from a state of emergency.
Price gouging can be reported by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or by filing a complaint online here: https://ncdoj.gov/pricegouging.
Since 2018, Stein has brought price gouging lawsuits against defendants that resulted in judgments or settlements totaling more than $1 million.
