300+ reports of Helene-related price gouging in NC; here's how to report it

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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Across the state—especially in the hardest-hit counties after Hurricane Helene—hundreds of price-gouging incidents have been reported.

In a Friday update from NC Attorney General Josh Stein, he said 308 complaints of price gouging have been received by the N.C. Department of Justice. Stein said all of these complaints are tied to Helene-related price gouging and most stem from Buncombe, Henderson and Cleveland counties.

Predominantly, victims of price gouging after Helene say they’ve seen it in commodities like groceries, hotel costs and gas being sold in these western North Carolina counties.

“Most contractors and tree removal professionals in North Carolina are good business people, and many local merchants pitch in to help their community recover from a disaster,” Stein said. “However, some scammers travel to areas that have been hit by storms and other disasters to take advantage of consumers.”

North Carolina’s law against price gouging, or charging too much in times of a crisis, goes into effect when the governor or the legislature declares a state of emergency. Stein’s office said in some cases, industries heavily impacted by natural disasters have “a reasonable need to increase prices in order to resupply, but they should disclose these increases so people can make informed purchasing decisions.”

Businesses cannot, however, unreasonably raise the price of goods or services to profit from a state of emergency. That’s where the complaint reports come in.

Resources & help

“The people in western North Carolina are tough, but we must do all we can to help,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “My office is working hard to protect them from scammers and bad actors who try to make a bad situation even worse.”

Stein said his office “remains vigilant” in protecting North Carolinians from scammers. To help in that effort, anyone who wants more information and updates on price-gouging after Helene can visit a state resource page at www.ncdoj.gov/Helene.

The North Carolina Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Division phone line is also open for people to report price gouging or other Helene-related concerns. Anyone who believes they were targeted in a price-gouging scheme can get in touch by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM, (that’s 1-877-566-7226), or you can file a complaint form online.

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Ashley Anderson

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