More than 90,000 establishments inspected, some 30 million euros in fines for non-compliance with payment deadlines, more than 60,000 consumer complaints... The Fraud Prevention Department exercised its role as competition watchdog in 2021, year marked by economic recovery, according to its annual report presented on Monday.

"The enrichment of (investigative powers) particularly in the digital sector allows us to deepen our investigations and to fight against new practices harmful to consumers", welcomed in the preamble the Director General of the Directorate General of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF), Virginie Beaumeunier.

Focus on digital markets

"We are increasing our presence on the digital markets", she detailed during a press conference in Bercy, arguing "the necessary adaptation of our methods of action in this area" in the face of "new consumer trends and purchase", "especially via influencers.

“A new” anti-economic fraud intelligence cell “was thus created in 2021 to help solve the” complex investigations.

"In a context of inflation, it is important for the French to be able to consume quality products", hammered the new Minister of SMEs, Olivia Grégoire, to the press, calling on the DGCCRF to "protect buyers when they make purchases online” and “hunting down false claims, particularly in environmental purchases”.

Over the year 2021, more than 130,000 checks were carried out in total, indicates the DGCCRF.

Sanctions for Google

The year was also marked by the increased use of the mediation application between consumers and professionals, “SignalConso”: nearly 150,000 reports were recorded there last year – particularly in the tourism and communications sectors – , which is three times more than in its first year of use at the national level in 2020.

In February 2021, Google was fined 1.1 million euros for the "misleading nature of its ranking of hotels on its search engine" after an investigation initiated by the DGCCRF in 2019, recalls the report.

Another sizeable sanction: that imposed on the Intermarché – Casino purchasing alliance (INCAA), to the tune of 4 million euros for having asked its suppliers for additional budgets without justification or compensation.

However, an appeal is pending on this decision.

"Digital Font"

Finally, on the "single police" project responsible for food safety checks, which will see part of the Fraud Control missions transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture, Ms Beaumeunier indicated that the "implementation of the transfer of missions and skills (was) in progress”.

The departures of agents "who want it" to the ministry "will be spread over 2023", she specified.

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  • Economy

  • Fraud

  • Consumption

  • Consumers

  • Inflation

  • tax evasion