At the end of the summer, it is most often the notes of the fashionable piece which, listened to until indigestion, nourish the greatest feelings of aversion. It seems that this year the radio hits are beaten by another chorus that no one wants to hear anymore. “Your CPF balance has expired” are the few words that fill the first seconds of the nuisance calls that flood our smartphones. For several months, fraudulent phone calls or SMS inviting people to spend the money from the personal training account (CPF) have multiplied to such an extent that the victims are adding up and the legislator intends to act.
The CPF is a system managed by the Caisse des Dépôts which allows all employees to benefit from funding for continuing education. Many organizations have rushed into this system offered by the State in order, legally or not, to offer training. Among the calls, some claim that the money acquired will disappear and dangle sums of money that the victims will never find. The scam has already claimed several hundred victims. What to alert the public authorities.
The deputies Sylvain Maillard (Renaissance) and Bruno Fuschs (Modem) have thus tabled a bill aimed simply at prohibiting cold calling for training organizations. “Aggressive canvassing is now a real nuisance that invades the daily life of the French”, observe the two parliamentarians. These practices jeopardize the readability and credibility of the system. Solicited on a daily basis, potential beneficiaries may doubt the seriousness of the training offered, thus discrediting the vocational training sector.” The ban will be enshrined in the Consumer Code in the same way as the canvassing observed for MaPrimeRénov.
The initiative is welcomed in the ranks of the majority. The measure will be examined in October 2022, when Parliament resumes. The camp acquired by the President of the Republic has already committed to the subject in the past. Two decrees, published in the Official Journal in April, came to frame the canvassing. The companies must collect “the explicit agreement of the potential customer”, and “end the call if the interlocutor declares his opposition”. They are under a legal obligation not to call back in this case. These provisions also made it possible to terminate the authentic oral agreement. An electronic or handwritten signature is now mandatory for the subscription of a contract. The chorus of summer 2023 should once again be wild music.
