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New Jersey’s top law enforcement official announced the state is taking aggressive steps to crack down on such measures with more than 1,400 price gouging complaints.
“We know that this is a concern to many people,” state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said Monday at a daily coronavirus briefing.
“To date, our Division of Consumer Affairs has received over 1,400 COVID-19 related complaints concerning some 900 distinct business locations across New Jersey,” Grewal said. “Let me tell you that our investigators have been on top of this. They’re working with our county partners to complete about 350 inspections to date.”
“We’ve issued about 160 cease-and-desist letters and served nearly 30 subpoenas,” he added. “The complaints that we received included allegations that details are unfairly raising prices on surgical masks, on hand sanitizers, on disinfecting sprays and wipes, food, bottled water and similar items.”
Grewal said many of the investigations have determined that prices at New Jersey stores have increased appropriately after suppliers hiked prices for retailers.
“We have to remain vigilant,” he said. “I will guarantee you, absolutely guarantee you, that additional fraud cases are going to come.”
Grewal’s statement came the same day Murphy announced Monday that New Jersey now has at least 2,844 known coronavirus cases with 27 deaths as officials announced 935 new positive tests on the same day the second state-run testing site opened in Monmouth County and quickly hit capacity due to overwhelming demand.
“There is a special place in hell for people who take advantage of this health crisis,” Murphy said. “There sure is heck no time for it in the war that we’re under.”
Residents are able to file a complaint about price gouging on the state’s Division of Consumer Affairs website.
The governor also said people should expect New Jersey schools to be closed for an “extended period of time” as the state continues to respond to the pandemic.
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