Their aim is to guarantee consumer protection. Agents from the competition, consumer affairs and fraud prevention department track down deception and breaches.
In Indre-et-Loire, the eleven agents first focus on checking that prices are correctly displayed. “In large and medium-sized stores, we check the displays but also the price at the checkout to check whether or not there is a discrepancyexplains Guillaume Cousyn, head of the service. In 2024, we have fined three establishments. »
“Marennes-Oléron oysters that weren’t oysters”
Transparency on the origin of products is also subject to numerous controls. “We have not detected any major deception regarding the origin of the productsunderlines Carine Bar, director of the departmental directorate for population protection, but a fishmonger was the subject of a report because he sold oysters supposed to be Marennes-Oléron when they were not. This is a deception on the merchandise. Likewise, another ongoing case concerns salmon that a department operator sold as being of wild origin when that was not the case. »
Some operators sell the packaging at the price of the product
Carine Bar director of the DDPP
Among the contentious practices discovered by fraud control checks, there are also deceptions regarding product quantities. “Sometimes, some operatorsspecifies Carine Bar, sell the packaging at the price of the product. In 2024, we had three major cases with legal action, relating to significant and repeated discrepancies. »
More than 1,600 reports on signalconso.gouv
In the field of e-commerce, fraud prevention agents work based on consumer reports via the signalconso.gouv site. In Indre-et-Loire, more than 1,600 reports were recorded in 2024 and made it possible to highlight practices such as dropshipping. “These are websites that sell products often made in Chinaindicates Guillaume Cousyn. In fact, the operator does not store the products, they are sent directly by the manufacturer. But sometimes the product does not arrive or it does not correspond to what was ordered. » A site whose head office was in Touraine was blocked this year.
Energy renovation is a sector which has also been the subject of a lot of control. A company in Veigné was notably fined €380,000 for telephone canvassing practices that were strictly prohibited.
A second case in which a company posed as a consulting company wishing to help individuals unlock state aid is also underway. Searches, police custody, vehicle seizures… The case gave rise to joint investigative actions with the gendarmerie.
Agents play mystery shopper
Competition and fraud prevention agents use stratagems worthy of police investigations to detect deception. “We used the mystery shopper techniquespecifies Guillaume Cousyn, to demonstrate mechanisms used by four car dealerships in the Tours area to increase the displayed price of the vehicle. »
Security is also at the heart of controls. After the play parks closed last summer, the DDPP is emphasizing toy safety at the end of the year. It was a sample taken in Indre-et-Loire which led to the withdrawal of Rubbabu brand toys throughout France due to the presence of nitrosamines, a dangerous substance.
A private laboratory for health checks
The director of the DDPP, interviewed by La Nouvelle République, confirms that a private laboratory is now commissioned by state services for health checks. “This is a measure taken at the national level,” indicates Carine Bar. In Indre-et-Loire, the Néocontrols laboratory is being commissioned. But we are the ones who set the list of companies to be inspected and we carry out checks when breaches are discovered and what action to take. »
Regarding decisions to close establishments, she specifies that “we issue an immediate closure order when the situation is truly catastrophic and there is an immediate danger for the population. But often, establishments are first notified to take measures and closure occurs when it turns out that the measures have not been taken.”
