A yearly global
Web-surfing exercise to search for sites that may
potentially be deceiving and/or defrauding consumers.
The Sweep’s objective is to improve consumer confidence
in e-commerce by demonstrating a global law enforcement
presence online. This has developed to be an effective
and pro-active enforcement tool to target the growth in
fraudulent and deceptive conduct emerging on the
internet, spam, mobile phones, and other forms of
electronics communications. On Sweep Day consumer
protection agencies, including non-ICPEN member
agencies, across the world are dedicated to intensive
searching on a theme which will change each year. The
Sweep results in identifying suspicious sites for later
enforcement or educative action by the consumer
protection agencies.
Coordinator: ICPENsweep@accc.gov.au
|
 |
Best Practices Workshop
The workshop provides practical enforcement focused
sessions on current topics relevant to government
consumer agencies organized once a year back to back
with a plenary conference (usually in October each
year). The next Best Practices Workshop will be held in
November 2009 in Sydney, Australia, under the
co-ordination of Spain.
The www.econsumer.gov site
A joint effort to gather and share cross-border
e-commerce complaints of consumer protection agencies
from 24 countries. The project has two components: a
multilingual public website, where consumers can lodge
cross-border complaints, and try to resolve their
complaints through means other than formal legal action;
as well as a password-protected website thanks to which
the incoming complaints are shared with the
participating consumer protection law enforcers.
Fraud Prevention Month
A yearly global consumer education effort (usually in
the February/March) with a common theme but focused on
topics relevant to each individual participant.
Coordinator:
frederik.cousin@economie.fgov.be
Global Teleconferences
Monthly global teleconference to discuss topics of
current relevance in the world of consumer protection,
and to review the progress of the various working
groups. If your agency is interested in participating in
the teleconferences, please contact the ICPEN
Secretariat at
ICPEN.Secretariat@cb-bc.gc.ca
A substantial part of
ICPEN work takes place in its working groups. This way
each member or partner organisation has the opportunity
to get involved in projects which are most important
from its point of view and draw maximum benefits from
ICPEN cooperation. Each group has a concrete mandate and
a leader, who coordinates all its work.
Deceptive/Fraudulent
Advertising WG
In April 2008, at the ICPEN meeting in Puerto Varas,
Chile, consumer agencies from Canada, Chile, Costa Rica,
Egypt, Latvia, Mexico, Poland, and the United States
agreed to form a working group to explore opportunities
for coordinated network action with regard to deceptive
and/or fraudulent advertisements. The U.S. Federal Trade
Commission staff agreed to coordinate the activities of
the working group. The working group seeks cross-border
opportunities for coordinated action against deceptive
and/or fraudulent advertisements.
Coordinator: pzylberglait(at)ftc.gov
Environmental Marketing Claims
WG
The Environmental Marketing or ‘Green Claims’ Working
Group was established in April 2008 at the Puerto Varas
ICPEN Conference as part of the ICPEN Strategic Plan as
Green Claims was a topic of interest to many members.
The Working Group’s objectives are to seek cross-border
opportunities for coordinated action against deceptive,
misleading and/or fraudulent advertising, to enhance
information exchange and share the experiences and
lessons learned of members to assist others in relation
to environmental marketing claims. The Working Group
aims to cover the full range of activities conducted by
consumer agencies in order to encourage industry to
comply with the law, including guidance, administrative
actions or enforcement cases.
In April 2009, the Working Group released a
reference document to assist consumer agencies who
are considering the development of or updating current
environmental marketing guidance.
Coordinator: ICPENgreenclaims(at)accc.gov.au
Airline Promotion WG
This working group seeks cross-border opportunities for
coordinated action against deceptive and/or fraudulent
advertisements or promotions regarding the sale of
airline tickets.
Coordinator: frode.haug(at)forbrukerombudet.no
Lotteries/Sweepstakes WG
This working group seeks cross-border opportunities for
coordinated action against deceptive and/or fraudulent
advertisements or promotions involving lotteries or
sweepstakes.
Coordinator: thomas.steen(at)cb-bc.gc.ca
Best Practices in Enforcement
Strategy WG
The working group was created at the Warsaw conference
in October 2006. It was formed to look at strategic
planning of enforcement strategies. The main goal of the
working group is to gather and analyse best practices on
effective enforcement strategies. The UK and the
Netherlands are leading this working group.
Coordinators: linzi.talbot@oft.gsi.gov.uk and
M.e.hulshof@consumentenautoriteit.nl
Growth, Outreach and
Participation WG
The working group seeks to facilitate the growth of the
Network by encouraging new organisations to become
members or get involved in ICPEN activities. In
particular, the WG works to establish cooperation with
regional consumer protection networks around the world.
Coordinators: pzylberglait(at)ftc.gov and
fernand.vangansbeke@mineco.fgov.be
Communications WG
The working group was set up in December 2008 with the
aim to manage ICPEN’s internal and external
communications. The group’s tasks include updating and
managing ICPEN’s website and cooperating with other WGs
within its remit, e.g. Growth, Outreach and
Participation WG or Fraud Prevention Month WG.
Coordinator: monika.tacikowska(at)uokik.gov.pl |
