HOUSTON — Texas officials have received hundreds of complaints of price gouging and scams in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. <br /> <br />The state has received 684 complaints, according to spokeswoman Kayleigh Lovvorn of the Texas Attorney General's Office, CNN reported. <br /> <br />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. <br /> <br />The attorney general's office said it is currently investigating nine cases, but expects that number to increase. <br /> <br />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. <br /> <br />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. <br />"Every state's attorney general will be watching to make sure that there's no price gouging going on," Perry said, according to CNN. <br /> <br />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.
