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Officials warn against price gouging and recovery scams; police find no credible looting reports
Summary
Senator Maria Cantwell and the governor urged enforcement of federal price-gouging protections while the attorney general's office monitors complaints; police said they investigated looting reports and found no credible incidents, and county officials warned evacuees to vet contractors during recovery.
Reporters asked officials about price gouging and exploitation of displaced residents. Senator Maria Cantwell pointed to an existing federal price-gouging law and said it would be used if necessary; she also thanked first responders. "There is a federal law...so there is a federal law, and we will use it," she said.
Governor Bob Ferguson added that the state's attorney general and consumer-protection team were actively tracking complaints and urged residents to file reports if they suspect wrongdoing. "I know that in a situation like this...there's a team that's activated and monitoring that closely," Ferguson said, and recommended contacting the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division to file complaints.
Police Chief Kevin Hall said investigators had examined reports of looting and "found no credibility to any of those" reports. County Commissioner Josh Kearns warned evacuees that unscrupulous contractors often appear after disasters and urged people to research providers and to use established recovery groups. "If you are hiring someone...make sure you do the research on those individuals to just make sure that you are working with positive actors who are actually going to deliver," he said.
