South Raleigh News

North Carolina’s price gouging law is now in effect in Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, and New Hanover counties following severe rainfall and flooding that impacted southeastern North Carolina. The Department of Justice will closely review price gouging complaints, with Attorney General Josh Stein committed to holding violators accountable.

“The storms over the past few days have taken a heavy toll in eastern North Carolina,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “As people clean up and recover from flooding and storm damage, please be on the lookout for price gougers. Most businesses will go out of their way to help their neighbors – but a few bad apples may try to scam you, and we won’t let them.”

North Carolina’s law against price gouging, which prohibits charging excessively during crises, is activated when the governor or legislature declares a state of emergency. While some businesses affected by the incident may need to increase prices reasonably to resupply, they are expected to disclose these increases transparently so consumers can make informed decisions. Unreasonable price hikes intended to profit from the state of emergency are prohibited.

Potential instances of price gouging can be reported by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or filing a complaint at https://ncdoj.gov/pricegouging.

Since 2018, Attorney General Stein has initiated 12 lawsuits against 29 defendants under North Carolina’s price gouging statute. He has secured 14 judgments or settlements totaling $1,080,000 against 25 defendants, including a record $274,000 settlement.