Penalties. Fraud Prevention will be able to publicly name companies that do not comply with the law

The Minister Delegate in particular for Trade Olivia Grégoire announced this Friday that the Repression of Fraud (DGCCRF) will now be able to reveal the identity of companies sanctioned for any illicit practice.

The DGCCRF could already make public the identity of sanctioned companies with regard to administrative sanctions. But a decree published this Friday, taken in application of the law of August 16, 2022 on emergency measures for the protection of purchasing power, has made it possible to extend the communication possibilities of the DGCCRF, in particular with regard to its “injunction measures”.

These injunctions to modify an illegal practice, violation of the regulations or illegal commercial clause, must make it possible to put an end to the practice « within a short time ». “They are complementary to financial sanctions, even to prison sentences”, specifies the DGCCRF.

“Name and Shame”

Fraud Control will now be able to make public its injunctions to businesses across its entire field of action, the fight against practices that restrict competition or consumer protection, for example.

This, in a logic of « name and shame », consisting in publicly pointing the finger at companies that are very sensitive to their image, « in order to reinforce the dissuasive nature of the consequences that it implements following its controls ». « In the case of its ‘digital requisition’ powers », it further specifies, it « may order the referral of blocked fraudulent sites to a page informing consumers of the reason for the blocking ».

Olivia Grégoire declares in her press release that she wishes « that these new powers can be used widely and quickly ».