State consumer protection officials have received more than 4,700 complaints linked to the coronavirus as of Saturday, including allegations of charity and investment scams and price gouging on essentials like food, cleaning products and breathing masks, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced.
The number of complaints has tripled since March.
“We have received thousands and thousands of complaints from New Jerseyans who feel that they have been taken advantage of during the current pandemic,” Grewal said in a statement.
Grewal listed the complaint figures and enforcement actions in an announcement of his latest Virtual Townhall meeting on the coronavirus pandemic, which will be streamed live Tuesday, May 19, at noon.
To date, the state Division of Consumer Affairs has received a total of 4,732 coronavirus-related complaints against 2,535 separate locations, Grewal announced. More than 85% of the complaints involved allegations of illegal price hikes on food, bottled water, cleaning products and personal protective equipment, or PPE, including masks, disinfectants and sanitizers.
The number of alleged cases of profiteering from the killer virus in New Jersey was nearly half the number of deaths attributed to it, which stood at 10,249 fatalities as of Saturday, out of a total of 145,089 confirmed cases.
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The number of fraud and price gouging cases has more than tripled since March 24, when an outraged Gov. Phil Murphy announced the state had received about 1,400 complaints of virus-related price gouging and fraud, warning there was “a special place in hell” for souls who would stoop to such a thing.
Still, the gouging continued, with prices reported last month of $12 for a gallon of milk and $25 for a single breathing mask.
In response to the complaints, Grewal said Saturday that the state had sent 975 cease-and-desist letters warning retailers of the penalties for violating a state law protecting consumers against “gross and unreasonable” price hikes of any product during a state of emergency.
Beyond the warning letters, Grewal said the state had issued 104 subpoenas to unscrupulous stores and online sellers reported by consumers. “We are committed to investigating every complaint and will take swift action against those that break the law,” he stated.
Tuesday’s town hall — the fourth in a series that began last month — will focus on fraud prevention, education and enforcement efforts during the pandemic. In addition to Grewal, the event will include New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni, Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Tracy M. Thompson, and the consumer affairs division’s acting director, Paul R. RodrÃguez.
Topics will include fraud, price gouging and scams related to COVID-19, a state and federal task force formed to crack down on fraud, how consumers can guard against scams, and how to report them. To attend the virtual town hall, register here.
Consumers who feel they’ve been cheated can file a complaint here.
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Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
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N.J. complaints of fraud and price gouging linked to coronavirus triple since March - NJ.com
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