April 10, 2020
This week Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson launched a “See it, Send it, Snap it” campaign for residents to report businesses price gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you encounter a business or person inflating prices, take a picture with your phone or screen grab an image of the price gouging and attach it to the online reporting form available here on the AG’s website.
Pictures and screenshots are useful tools for investigators tasked with looking into price-gouging complaints. Any additional information, like the brand and size of the product being sold, and, if it is known, what that store charged for the product before the current pandemic outbreak, is also helpful.
Price gouging during an emergency violates the Consumer Protection Act’s prohibition on unfair business practices.
The Attorney General’s office can only process complaints that involve either Washington state residents or businesses located in Washington state. Read more.