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Consumer Protection BC wants to hear about price gouging

Report price gouging

Consumer Protection BC wants to hear about price gouging amid the COVID-19 crisis.

“We know that some questionable behaviour is surfacing in the BC marketplace as result of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’ve experienced price gouging in BC, we want to hear about it,” said a statement on consumerprotectionbc.ca.

“Price gouging occurs when a seller increases the prices of goods, services or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. For example, you may be aware of a BC business that appears to be trying to profit from fears about COVID-19 by excessively marking up a certain good or service such as toilet paper or cleaning products.”

Consumers are being asked to email price-gouging information to Consumer Protection BC with as much detail as possible.

The tip could act as a starting point for an investigation by the agency.

Examples of issues you can send a tip about:

  • BC businesses that appear to be trying to profit from fears about COVID-19 by price gouging or excessive price markups on goods or services.
  • BC businesses using “spoofing” to make it look like the origin of the email or text is a legitimate government and health care organization, and seeking donations or payments
  • Unauthorized or fraudulent charities going door to door requesting money for victims or research


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