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ICPEN/RICPC
International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network

 
 

ABOUT ICPEN/RICPC

 
PARTICIPANTS
 
ACTIVITIES
 
International Internet Sweep Days
 
Cross Border Dispute Resolution System
 
ICPEN Conferences
 

Other Items of Interest

 

NEWS

 

RELATED SITES

 

EXTRANET

 
 
 
 
 
The work of ICPEN also concentrates around specific joint projects, which aim to implement the Network’s objectives.

ICPEN International Internet Sweep

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

  • Working groups

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




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