Parliamentarians want to update the law to prohibit canvassing on the CPF account, which is the subject of numerous attempts at abuse.
Can we put an end to scams targeting the personal training account (CPF), by passing a law that prohibits cold calling, SMS and email? This is the goal that seeks to achieve a bill tabled in the National Assembly at the end of August, and which will be discussed in session from October 6th. Short, the text has only two articles.
The personal training account, which can only be accessed through a single official address (https://www.moncompteformation.gouv.fr), aims to support the professional career of French men and women. This takes the form of an individual fund which increases each year, up to a ceiling of 5,000 euros.
This amount, which varies from person to person, cannot be withdrawn: it can only be spent through training. This can range from a skills assessment to an introduction to oenology, passing through a driving license, assistance with oral practice of English, learning first aid gestures or improving Excel. There are many proposals.
The sums involved are significant and the CPF is not always used. This sleeping money also attracts covetousness. CPF fraud has been documented since this mechanism was put in place in 2019. Between 2020 and 2021, nearly 5,000 reports were sent to the administration, but there are also many abuses that have not been reported. .
A ban on canvassing for the CPF
In the explanatory memorandum, the parliamentarians also point to ” aggressive or even abusive commercial practices aimed at inducing individuals to buy training against their will “. Stratagems that very often convey erroneous information on the rights of the individual and, or, on the real object pursued by the organization “, add the elected officials.
It is therefore in this context that the law proposes to prohibit canvassing by SMS, telephone or email, ” in order to fight against CPF fraud “. This prohibition is included in the Labor Code and the Consumer Code, with one exception: if the canvassing occurs as part of an ongoing service between an individual and a training organization.
To give weight to the measure, the legislator intends to mobilize the repression of fraud (DGCCRF) to ” look for and note the shortcomings to this rule. It also puts in the loop Tracfin, the public agency for the fight against certain frauds, and other state services to exchange information likely to repress these scams.
While waiting to know the fate of this bill, the content and contours of which will evolve during its examination in the Assembly and the Senate, individuals have several levers to reject canvassing – it is still necessary to think about it and not not respond to requests. These tools are not the magic bullet, but they will reduce the extent of the problem.
Thus, you can enter your telephone number on Bloctel to no longer receive commercial calls. You can also block numbers on a case-by-case basis. Regarding spam, it is possible to report them to Signal-Spam (for emails), and to 33 700 (for SMS). In the event of a scam, you can ask for help and information on 0 805 805 817.