District attorney warns businesses, consumers of price gouging in wake of wildfires

SAN DIEGO – San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan recently issued a warning to businesses and scammers not to take advantage of consumers by price gouging during a state of an emergency – doing so can end in prosecution.

During a declared state of emergency, it is illegal for a business to increase its prices for essential goods or services by more than 10 percent, unless they can show their own costs have been increased. Gov. Edmund G. Brown declared the state of emergency, Dec. 7.

“Price gouging during a state of an emergency is not only a crime, it is re-victimizing victims who...