CHARLOTTE, N.C. — “If you’re feeling unstable and uncertain,” said North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, “you’re not alone.”

On Thursday, Stein held a virtual “town hall” streamed live on Facebook and Instagram to answer questions from concerned North Carolinians. When Gov. Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency on March 10, price gouging laws went into effect.

So far, Stein says his office has received 174 price gouging complaints. Half–87 complaints–were related to groceries. Other complaints dealt with the price of hand sanitizer, cleaning products and gas.

“We got a complaint about somebody selling $5 bottles of hand sanitizer for $94 dollars,” said Stein, possibly referring to a previous FOX 46 investigation which found six bottles of eight-ounce hand sanitizers selling on Amazon for $94.99.  “There’s no scenario that I can imagine that that’s a proper transaction.”

In North Carolina, price gouging is considered anything that is “unreasonably excessive under the circumstances.”

Stein says he is also seeing an increase in scams involving bogus “cures” – there are none – phishing emails, robo-calls, and solicitations from fake charities. He cautioned consumers to be suspicious and only donate to charities you are familiar with. 

“Just know that there are bad people who will use our collective fear to try to trick us and steal our money,” said Stein. “It’s illegal. If it’s happening to you, please let our office know.”

Offenders, including private sales on places like Facebook Marketplace, can face fines up to $5000 per violation.

Price Gouging Breakdown

Here is the breakdown of price gouging complaints, by category, according to Stein’s office:

  • Groceries: 87
  • Cleaning products: 22
  • Sanitizer: 21
  • Fuel: 16
  • Health product: 11
  • Other: 11
  • Travel: 6

How to File a Complaint

Price gouging is a bit subjective in North Carolina. Some price increases may be justified, Stein said. If you suspect the price of food, fuel, or other items have illegally increased, you are encouraged to file a complaint with the attorney general’s office.

To report price gouging go to www.ncdoj.gov/pricegouging

To report a scam, you are urged to call (877) 5-NO-SCAM.

WATCH the Attorney General’s Facebook Q&A here. 

Read more from the NC Department of Justice.