AUSTIN (1080 KRLD) - The attorney general of Texas continues his crusade against price gougers.
Attorney General Ken Paxton says since the outbreak of COVID-19, his office has now fielded more than 8,500 complaints of price gouging.
That's more than the number of complaints than his office fielded in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
"Not that 8,500 complaints is good news; but in proportion to what Harvey was, it's significantly down because it covers the entire state as opposed to just a few counties," Paxton tells KRLD.
Paxton says the number of complaints during the COVID-19 crisis is actually lower than what he had been expecting.
"I think because what we did with Harvey, getting the word out that you can't price gouge, I think some people have taken that to heart and have not done it," says Paxton.
Penalties for price gouging could also be a deterrent.
"If there's price gouging, they get up to a $10,000 fine per violation, or if it relates to an elderly citizen, it can actually be up to $250,000 (per violation)."
Paxton says there's a big difference between supply-and-demand pricing and price gouging.
"What we're looking at is for situations on essential goods that don't seem like they're market-based and they're exorbitantly priced," says Paxton.
Among the cases Paxton's office is investigating is against a Fort Worth-based online firearms retailer named Cheaper Than Dirt, which is the subject of more than 100 complaints.
KRLD reached out to Cheaper Than Dirt, but the company refused to comment.
Paxton says all price gouging complaints are taken seriously and are thoroughly investigated.
"If they had one complaint, we would look into it," Paxton says. "The fact that they (Cheaper Than Dirt) have 100 coming, we're still looking into it, whether it's one complaint or 100."