Attorney General announces $700,000 for Floridians victim to COVID-19 scams

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Friday more than $700,000 is now available to help you recover from scams related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Florida remains under a state of emergency since Gov. Ron DeSantis issued the declaration back in March.

The attorney’s general office says they received more than 7,000 reports of stores price gouging and of scammers trying to steal money.

In addition to securing $703,043 for consumers since activating Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline, the Florida Attorney General’s Office:

• • Received approximately 4,800 consumer contacts about the price of essential commodities
  • Made more than 7,800 referrals and contacts to merchants about allegations of price gouging, refunds and scams
  • Issued 82 subpoenas to further price gouging investigations
  • Worked with online platforms to deactivate 224 posts offering items for outrageous prices

According to the attorney’s general office, violators of the price gouging statute are subject to civil penalties of $1,000 per violation and up to a total of $25,000 for multiple violations committed in a single 24-hour period. For more information on price gouging, click here.

For a list of the commodities covered under the state’s price gouging laws during the COVID-19 state of emergency, click here.

Price gouging can be reported by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM, visiting MyFloridaLegal.com or downloading the NO SCAM smartphone app. The app is also available in Spanish.

For tips on reporting price gouging, click here.

Since the COVID-19 emergency declaration, Attorney General Moody has issued more than a dozen Consumer Alerts with information about emerging scams and tips to avoid fraud. To view the latest alerts and to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 related scams, visit the Attorney General’s Consumer Alert webpage by clicking here.

For all the Attorney General’s COVID-19 related releases and additional COVID-19 tips and resources, click here.

MORE: Attorney General Moody Recovers More Than $700,000 for Consumers Amid COVID-19 Pandemic