Although the inspection service of the FPS economy carried out fewer checks in 2022, more violations were detected. This is evident from the activity report that was published on Thursday. In 41 percent of the nearly 13,000 inspections, there was an infringement.
At the start of 2021, the economic inspection service was still monitoring compliance with the corona measures. That led to a record number of files (26,180). In 2022 there were a lot less (18,625), but the checks were a lot more targeted. As a result, more warnings were issued (7,608 compared to 7,017 in 2021) and official reports were issued (2,256 compared to 1,781 in 2021).
When checking online services, the inspectors hit the mark even more often. A breach was found in 61 percent of the 5,564 websites and social media pages checked.
Top five notifications
“The top five reports from citizens give a good idea of what you should be wary of,” says Economy Minister Yves Dermagne. “Phishing and fake webshops will also occupy the first places in 2022, despite specific checks and awareness campaigns on e-commerce. In stores, we see many more complaints about the refusal of certain payment methods.”
For the search for possible fraud, the inspection service counts on consumer reports, among other things. Fewer and fewer are coming in. Since 2020, the number of reports has already fallen by 20 percent. The FPS Economy attributes this to a smaller urge to report, not to a decrease in the number of fraud attempts.
In the future, the FPS will continue to ask citizens to report suspicious situations. “Once Consumerconnect, the unique digital consumer platform, will be active next year, it will be even easier to make reports,” assures Secretary of State for Consumer Protection Alexia Bertrand. She asks Belgians to consume consciously.
READ ALSO. Police warn of bank helpdesk fraud: “Suspects also try to get bank details via apps”
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss a thing of the stars.