HOUSTON — Texas officials have received hundreds of complaints of price gouging and scams in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
The state has received 684 complaints, according to spokeswoman Kayleigh Lovvorn of the Texas Attorney General's Office, CNN reported.
In one instance, a convenience store reportedly was asking $20 a gallon for gas, $8.50 for a bottle of water and $99 for a case of water.
The attorney general's office said it is currently investigating nine cases, but expects that number to increase.
Anyone found guilty of price gouging can be penalized with a $20,000 fine per occurrence, or up to $250,000 if the victim is someone 65 or older, CNBC reported.
U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said on Thursday that even though gas supplies will be affected, retailers should be careful of unreasonable price increases.
"Every state's attorney general will be watching to make sure that there's no price gouging going on," Perry said, according to CNN.
Harvey was the most powerful hurricane to slam Texas in more than five decades. Parts of Texas are still inundated with water, while 39 lost their lives in the storm.
