Boris Johnson vowed to crackdown on greedy companies and individuals hiking prices to exploit the coronavirus today.
“Unscrupulous” firms and online sellers have been accused of cashing in on Covid-19 and public fears, jacking up prices of every day goods to maximise profits in the crisis.
A recent survey by Which? found some online traders were advertising items such as anti-bacterial hand gel, digital thermometers and disinfectant for many times their normal price.
In a fresh warning, No 10 said officials were in daily contact with retailers about the "minority" of outlets which had ramped up prices of products in heavy demand.
The prices' watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, is continuing to talk to online giants Amazon and eBay about actions they are taking against sellers on their sites, Downing Street added.
"We are facing a health emergency and nobody should be seeking to exploit that for financial gain," the Prime Minister's spokesman said.
"Amazon and eBay have been taking actions, removing and blocking unfairly priced listings and suspending or terminating the accounts of unscrupulous sellers.
"We will look at whether further action is necessary to tackle this issue.
“People are obviously trying to exploit the situation we find ourselves in and that mustn't be allowed to happen."
Sue Davies, head of consumer protection at Which?, said: "We've found online marketplaces, such as eBay and Amazon, are rife with unscrupulous sellers exploiting people by selling essential items at ridiculously inflated prices.
“While these companies have put additional measures in place they must make good on their pledges to stamp out coronavirus profiteering.
"The Government, working with the CMA, must hold them to account and we look forward to seeing it take strong action to keep the price of vital goods reasonable during this difficult time."
