Here is how many price gouging complaints the state sent to Horry County investigators
Prosecutors in Horry and Georgetown counties are reviewing dozens of price gouging complaints since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.
State officials sent 41 complaints to the 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office, which covers both counties, for review, Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said. The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office received more than 650 complaints across the Palmetto State. This week Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the complaints were being sent to local solicitors for investigation.
Richardson said his office will review the complaints to see if criminal charges should be filed.
“We will be looking into all of them,” Richardson said.
One complaint was over a $6 price for a bag of oranges and another was about gas prices in Pawleys Island, Richardson said.
Price gouging is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Typically, the state waits until after a state of emergency to investigate price gouging complaints, according to Wilson. The COVID-19 outbreak is different because of its length and the fact police are not immediately attending to the disaster like during a hurricane.
The most common price complaints across the state involve sanitizer, cleaning sprays, toilet paper, face mask, meat and eggs.
Locals can report price gouging through email at pricegouging@scag.gov or by calling 803-737-3953. People are asked to note the time, place, address and name of the business, the price paid, any nearby prices and to take pictures of the price and business. People should also provide their name and contact information.
