Attorney General Paxton warns Texans to watch out for post hurricane price gouging

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — It’s another example of scammers not letting a crisis go to waste. Unscrupulous vendors taking advantage of Texans who are recovering from a natural disaster.

Attorney General Ken Paxton has a warning for those impacted by Hurricane Hanna:

Watch out for price gouging.

After Hanna pounded the state with heavy rain, the Governor issued an emergency declaration.

Under state law, vendors cannot jack up the prices on goods and services that are in high demand after a natural disaster. They include necessities such as drinking water, food, batteries, generators, towing, clothing, medical supplies, lodging, repair work and fuel.

The disaster declaration covers Aransas, Bee, Bexar, Brazoria, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Harris, Hidalgo, Jackson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, La Salle, Live Oak, Matagorda, McMullen, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, Victoria, Webb, Wharton, Willacy, and Zapata.

Paxton says his office is working to prevent disaster scams and they’ll prosecute anyone who takes advantage of Texans working to restore their lives after the storm.

If you feel you have been the victim of price gouging related to Hurricane Hanna, you can file a complaint at this link.