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