March 25, 2020
Carson City, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney
General Aaron D. Ford wrote a letter urging Amazon, Facebook, eBay, Walmart and
Craigslist to more rigorously monitor inflated consumer price practices by
online sellers using their services. AG Ford is joined by 31 attorneys general
in writing this letter.
“As
our community faces an unprecedented public health crisis, I’m asking online
retailers to do more at a time that requires national unity,” said AG Ford. “Together, we need to
crack down on inflated pricing so our consumers can get the goods and supplies
they need at fair prices. Nevadans who are impacted by inflated pricing should
file a complaint with my office on our website.”
The
letter lists several examples of inflated prices on these marketplace
platforms, all of which took place only in March: on Craigslist a two-liter
bottle of hand sanitizer was being sold for $250; on Facebook Marketplace an
eight-ounce bottle was being sold for $40; and on Ebay packs of face masks were
being sold for $40 and $50.
In
their letter, the attorneys general recommend several changes to protect
consumers from inflated pricing:
Set
policies and enforce restrictions on unconscionable inflated consumer prices during
emergencies: Online retail platforms should prevent unconscionable price
increases from occurring by creating and enforcing strong policies that prevent
sellers from deviating in any significant way from the product’s price before
an emergency. Such policies should examine historical seller prices, and the
price offered by other sellers of the same or similar products, to identify and
eliminate inflated pricing;
Trigger
inflated pricing protections prior to an emergency declaration, such as when
your systems detect conditions like pending weather events or future possible
health risks; and
Implement
a complaint portal for consumers to report potential inflated price increases.
In
addition to Nevada, other states that participated in this letter include: California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois,
Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana,
Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio,
Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming and Puerto
Rico.
The
issued letters to Amazon,
Facebook,
eBay,
Craigslist
and Walmart
are attached.
If
you believe you have been a victim related to these or any other scams, you may file a complaint with the Office of the
Nevada Attorney General hereor call our hotline toll free at
(888) 434-9989.
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