Camden County Tackles Price Gougers Preying On Coronavirus Fears

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — Camden County is cracking down on price gouging following Gov. Phil Murphy’s State of Emergency Declaration due to coronavirus, county officials announced.

Inspectors from the Camden County Division of Weights and Measures are looking for price gouging, a sudden and dramatic increase in cost, on items such as hand sanitizer, disinfectants, toiletries, bottled water, and more, officials said Wednesday morning.

“The Department of Health and Human Services immediately escalated the number of spot checks and inspections for price gouging in response to the emergency declaration,” Camden County Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez, liaison to the Department of Health and Human Services, said. “As the size of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States has grown, the demand for cleaning supplies and hand sanitizers has increased exponentially. Though stock has been limited during many of our early checks, we will continue to ensure that Camden County residents are not being scammed or taken advantage of.”

Executive Order No. 103 declares a state of emergency and public health emergency across all 21 counties in New Jersey, allowing state agencies and departments to utilize state resources to assist affected communities responding to and recovering from COVID-19 cases. Read more here: NJ Gov. Murphy Declares State Of Emergency Because Of Coronavirus

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County officials said the Division of Weights and Measures routinely performs spot checks to ensure that the price paid at the register matches what is shown on shelves and tags. Inspectors also inspect scales, meters, scanning equipment, and package products using highly accurate equipment to ensure that consumers receive exactly what they’re paying for. These checks occur at a wide range of businesses including supermarkets, gasoline stations, packing plants, and lumber yards.

In response to Monday night’s announcement, inspectors have been asked to focus more heavily on price gouging, specifically as it relates to the items previously listed. These checks will occur daily and will continue until the declaration has been lifted.

“Our residents rely on our inspectors for the peace of mind that when they pay for a gallon of gas, a pound of meat, or a yard of cloth, that they are getting what they paid for,” Rodriguez said. “Fortunately, we have not identified any price gouging on these critical items during our first day of increased spot checks. We will continue to vigilantly seek out any establishment hoping to prey on desperate consumers in the days and weeks ahead.”

Anyone who has a problem with a weights and measures issue should contact the Camden County Department of Health & Human Services, Division of Weights & Measures at 856-374-6001. For consumer affairs complaints, contact the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs at 1-800-242-5846.

The New Jersey Department of Health has partnered with the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System to open and operate a call center (1-800-222-1222) for public use regarding questions, concerns, and other information related to coronavirus spread in New Jersey. More information is also available on the state's coronavirus webpage.

See related: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know