DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF)- The Better Business Bureau and Attorney General Ken Paxton are warning Texans to watch out for scams and price gouging in the wake of Hurricane Laura.
Paxton warned that state law prohibits price gouging during a declared disaster.
“I urge all Texans to be cautious of dishonest individuals looking to scam vulnerable citizens,” said Attorney General Paxton. “My office will aggressively prevent disaster scams and stands ready to prosecute any price-gouger who takes advantage of Texans.”
Phylissia Clark with the BBB of North Texas is telling everyone to do research before buying and only buy from trusted stores and sites .
She said you will most commonly see the gouging on necessities such as drinking water, food, batteries, generators, towing, clothing, medical supplies, lodging, repair work and fuel during and after the crisis.
“We’ve seen it a lot with repair people like plumbers, if you have damage to your homes and anyone who fixes things,” said Clark. “Also look out for hidden terms, fees and additional charges..sometimes it’s not just in the price but build into the back end,” Clark said.
Paxton said price gougers can be penalized up to $10,000 per incident or if you do it someone elderly its up to $250,000. “The fines can be significant and high enough for businesses to pay attention,” he said.
Texans in affected counties who believe they have encountered price gouging should call the Office of the Attorney General’s toll-free complaint line at (800) 621-0508 or file a complaint online here.