Influencers: ‘More waves of sanctions will come’, warns against scams

Warnings, injunctions, and even criminal prosecutions. The General Directorate of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) has been actively using its entire repressive arsenal for several months now to clean up the very lucrative world of influencers. The most recent sanctions to date, unveiled this Thursday, August 10, have affected influential figures Melanie Orlenko, Gulfer Taskiran, Amandine Pelissar and Fanny Sanial.

The four women, who are collectively followed by nearly two million people on social media such as Instagram and TikTok, or even the video site YouTube, have been particularly criticized for not specifying the “promotional nature” of the posts they post online.

It is clear that some of their posts implied that the product they were recommending was based on their personal experience of being directly or indirectly paid for it. The DGCCRF has sent them an injunction urging them to stop this fraudulent commercial practice or more severe sanctions may be imposed.

A dozen injunctions in three months

These four injunctions follow two others sent in late July to two influencers, Rim Renom and mam_active, better known as Laura Agog. “Over the past three months, we have issued an injunction against a dozen influential individuals,” the DGCCRF said in a statement. The goal is to maintain pressure and have a deterrent effect.”

In an effort to bring order to a sector often referred to as the Wild West and home to some 150,000 influencers, the consumer protection inspector has been increasing checks for more than a year. In 2022, the DGCCRF targeted 61 influencers. Balance sheet? Violations in two out of three cases. Control, which was tightened in the first quarter of 2023: fifty influential people went through the mill of investigators, while 60% of violations were noted. “And we will continue,” the DGCCRF warns. Other waves of sanctions will fall.”

A specialized team will be created

A testament to the determination to try to better control the sector, a commercial influence brigade of about fifteen agents will see the light of day in the coming weeks. A deployment that is part of a law passed in early June by Parliament to better regulate commercial influence and its excesses. The text forbids, in particular, the promotion of therapeutic abstinence, that is, for example, praising the benefits of herbal teas rather than drugs, or singling out cosmetic surgery. A common practice among influencers.

So this Thursday, three out of four influencers were held accountable for highlighting injections of hyaluronic acid, which is used to “fill up” lips in particular. A boastful service where the operation had to be performed by a provider who was not qualified to perform such a medical procedure.

The new law also toughens penalties. Thus, failure to comply with the advertising ban or an influencer’s concealment of their true commercial intentions can result in up to two years in prison and a fine of 300,000 euros.

By the way, the legislator has also strengthened the sanctions panel available to the GGKRF. Thus, when executive orders are issued, the consumer watchdog can appoint powerful individuals who have not met their obligation to pay a daily fine, which will be paid for as long as the law is violated. “Hunting” bad influencers whose stakes are high. A very large part of the population that follows them is very young.