LOS ANGELES – Reports of price gouging of essential goods have been widespread during the pandemic. In response, the L.A. County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs or DCBA, which is charged with enforcing L.A. County’s price gouging prohibitions, announced a new “Stop Price Gouging” mobile application to help consumers easily report suspected cases of illegal price increases in L.A. County.

DCBA’s investigations team has tracked and documented over 500 price gouging complaints. DCBA’s new app, which will soon be available in iOS and Android stores, will help consumers file accurate complaints that can be supported with photos of receipts, ads, products, or other possible evidence of wrongdoing. The new app is expected to increase rapid reporting of price gouging complaints, which is critical to ensuring that investigations are conducted close in time to the suspected price gouging activity.

A web-based version of the app is available now.

DCBA is part of a task force alongside the L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, Los Angeles County Counsel Mary Wickham, and L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer that collaborates on investigations related to price gouging and COVID-19 scams.

You can report suspected COVID-19 scams or price gouging to DCBA through the new “Stop Price Gouging” app, by phone at 800-593-8222, or dcba.lacounty.gov.

For more important resources to help workers and businesses, visit lacountyhelpcenter.org.