Georgia Attorney General issues warning to potential scammers and price gougers

ATLANTA — Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is warning consumers to be on the lookout for scams and possible price gouging as Hurricane Florence impacts the United States.

“Sadly enough, con artists often exploit disasters by taking advantage of storm victims or preying on the sympathies of those who want to help out,” Carr said. “The Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit is authorized to investigate scams and price gouging. Under Georgia law, penalties for this type of conduct can range between $2,000 to $15,000 per violation.

“We strongly urge scammers and price gougers to think twice before trying to take advantage of consumers who are fleeing the storm’s path or attempting to rebuild their lives in this storm’s aftermath in Georgia.”

On Wednesday, Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency in all of the state’s 159 counties. During a declared state of emergency, the governor may prohibit price increases on items considered to be necessary to preserve, protect or sustain the life, health or safety of people or their property, officials from the Consumer Protection Unit within Carr’s office states.

Those who feel they may have been the victim of a scam or price gouging should contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit at (404) 651-8600 within the metro Atlanta area or at 1-800-869-1123 toll-free outside of the metro Atlanta calling area. Telephone counselors are available between 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday.

More resources are available on the Consumer Protection Unit’s website, http://consumer.ga.gov/. The website includes information related to price gouging, scams, reliability of businesses and also gives the option of filing a compliant.