NY Attorney Urges Residents to Report – Telemundo New York (47)

New York Attorney General Letitia James, launched an alert on the possible illegal price hike for over-the-counter coronavirus tests for home use, as well as other essential products in demand.

Unscrupulous price inflation was common practice during the peak of the pandemic. Now, in light of an increase in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant, establishments have again incurred these kinds of violations.

James said in a statement that his office has detected the illicit price hike for home test kits, as there is an urgency to meet friends and loved ones for the holidays.

“As New York sees an exponential rise in COVID-19 cases, more and more New Yorkers are seeking home testing and other tools in the fight against coronavirus,” said James.

“If New Yorkers see exorbitant price increases for test kits or other items vital and necessary for health, safety and well-being, they are encouraged to report it to my office immediately. And scammers are aware that if they try to increase prices during this new increase, we will not hesitate to take action, “he added.

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has received complaints that COVID-19 test products are selling at double or triple their retail price. A standard BinaxNOW brand test kit at a New York store, such as Walgreens, appropriately costs between $ 14 and $ 25 for a two-test pack, however there have been alleged reports that the same products were illegally sold by over $ 40 and up to $ 70 per package.

New York law prohibits merchants from taking advantage of consumers by selling them goods or services that are vital to their health, safety, or well-being for an excessive price. An excessive price would be represented by a large disparity between the price of the product immediately before and after such an occurrence, James warned.

Last year, a law was passed that gave the New York Attorney General’s Office the ability to bring charges against individuals and entities who violate the state’s price increase statute by excessively increasing the prices of essential goods and services during pandemics or other emergencies.

James said his office has sent more than 1,900 cease-and-desist letters to offending merchants since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The office also arrested three outside vendors who used Amazon to raise the price of hand sanitizers, and sued a major egg distributor for the outrageous increase in their products, resulting in the Attorney General obtaining 1.2 million eggs for help feed New Yorkers in need.

The Attorney General’s Office continues to monitor entities throughout the state for deceptive practices and price increase schemes. Any New Yorker who knows or believes they have been the victim of a price spike is encouraged to file a complaint online or call 800-771-7755.

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