State Attorney General Ashley Moody announced on Wednesday more than $2 million in recoveries for Florida consumers regarding cancellations, purchases and scams related to COVID-19.
Moody’s Price Gouging Hotline remains active and the office’s Consumer Protection Division is still assisting consumers and reviewing complaints related to price increases on commodities essential to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and other concerns related to the pandemic’s impact on consumer transactions.
“Floridians have dealt with many challenges during this pandemic. Many are struggling financially and that is why I am glad to announce that our Consumer Protection Division has recovered more than $2 million for consumers,” Moody said on Wednesday.
“These efforts would not be possible without the help of the many Floridians who contacted our office. Our team is still assisting consumers with extreme price increases for commodities and services related to COVID-19. We will continue to work diligently to stop those exploiting this health crisis to target Floridians,” Moody added.
In addition to recovering more than $2 million, the Attorney General’s Office:
- Received approximately 5,300 consumer contacts about the price of essential commodities;
- Made more than 10,000 referrals and contacts to merchants about allegations of price gouging, refunds and scams;
- Issued 107 subpoenas to further price gouging investigations; and
- Worked with online platforms to deactivate 258 posts offering items for outrageous prices.
Violators of the price gouging statute are subject to civil penalties of $1,000 per violation, up to a total of $25,000 for multiple violations committed in a single 24-hour period and additional penalties for violations of other applicable laws.
