RALEIGH — Attorney General Josh Stein today announced that the North Carolina Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Division phone line is open for people to report price gouging or other Helene-related concerns.

A release from Stein’s office is encouraging those who observe price gouging to contact our office at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or www.ncdoj.gov/pricegouging. The Department of Justice reviews price gouging complaints closely and Stein will hold price gougers accountable for breaking the law.

“North Carolina’s law against price gouging, or charging too much in times of a crisis, goes into effect when the governor or the legislature declares a state of emergency,” the release said. “In some cases, businesses and industries that are heavily impacted by the incident causing the state of emergency have a reasonable need to increase prices in order to resupply, but they should disclose these increases so people can make informed purchasing decisions. Businesses cannot, however, unreasonably raise the price of goods or services to profit from a state of emergency.”