Warning to Texans: Don’t price gouge. If you do, it will cost you
Texans: You’ve been warned.
No price gouging.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton first issued the warning when the coronavirus began spreading across the state.
Now Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley is echoing it.
“If you see it, make a record of it,” Whitley said Tuesday, urging residents to take pictures of any price gouging they come across. “I’m going to do everything I can to go after them and put them in as dark a hole” as possible.
His comments came as the first COVID-19 case of local transmission in Tarrant County was announced: a health care worker who lives in Grand Prairie.
Paxton has warned that Texas law prevents price gouging when there’s a disaster. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has already issued a statewide disaster declaration.
Anyone caught price gouging in Texas could face civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation. Penalties can go up to as much as $25,000 if the person impacted is elderly, Paxton’s office has said.
“I hope we will go after them with everything we’ve got,” Whitley said. “This is not the time.”
Any Texan who believes they’ve found price gouging should call the Texas Attorney General’s toll-free complaint line at (800) 621-0508. Complaints also may be filed online at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection.
“My office will work aggressively to prevent disaster scams and stands ready to prosecute any price-gouger who takes advantage of those taking precautions and looking for safety and supplies,” Paxton said in a statement.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Warning to Texans: Don’t price gouge. If you do, it will cost you."
