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Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Attorney General Eric Schmitt are warning residents of potential COVID-19-related scams and price gouging across the state.
"We've received over 400 price gouging complaints in the past two weeks, and we're monitoring a number of different scams," Schmitt said in a news release.
Missouri law prohibits individuals and businesses from substantially raising their prices for the necessities of life during an emergency, Schmitt said.
The Attorney General's Office recently issued a cease-and-desist letter to a Springfield man for inflating the prices of N95 masks and sent civil investigative demands to eight third-party sellers on Amazon for potential price gouging.
With the passage of the federal stimulus act, there may be some scammers who try to take advantage of the potential payments to citizens, Schmitt said. Text messages or emails purporting to be from the federal government may contain phishing links and robocalls along the same lines may also start to circulate.
Additionally, some of the most common scams are still circulating during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to authorities. For example, scam Social Security Administration and IRS calls have been reworked to include COVID-19 as a reason for urgency.
The IRS or SSA will never call you first. Consumers are advised to hang up the phone immediately if they receive calls that seem suspicious. Phishing scams may also circulate through email or text.
Residents who wish to report price gouging or scams can do so through the Missouri Attorney General's Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-392-8222 or at ago.mo.gov.