Belgian ecommerce trade association BeCommerce has launched a new trustmark for ads by influencers. The trustmark aims to prevent fraudulent sales on social media. Belgian consumers can now easily check whether an influencer complies with European legislation.
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Fivefold increase in fraudulent advertisements
According to the Belgian Federal Public Service for Economy, online fraud is a problem that is becoming more and more prominent in Belgian ecommerce. The federal hotline received 773 reports of fraudulent advertisements in 2021, which was a fivefold increase when compared to the 155 received reports in 2020. The total amount that consumers spent on these ads was multiplied by four, to 8.6 million euros in 2021.
The new trustmark is a separate product from BeCommerce’s existing one.
To prevent further fraud, BeCommerce and former state secretary for Consumer Affairs Eva de Bleeker have created a trustmark for influencers. The new trustmark is an additional product, separate from BeCommerce’s existing trustmark for online stores.
In line with European legislation
In order to receive the trustmark, influencers need to comply with European legislation, as well as the guidelines set by the Belgian FPS for Economy. One of these rules is that influencers need to make sure that their ads are appropriate and not misleading. They also need to include the words “sponsored” or “ad” when they are recommending a product as part of an arrangement with a company.
‘We are one step closer to a safe internet environment for Belgian consumers.’
According to the EU legislation, influencers also need to include their business address on their social media channels. This raised privacy concerns, as most influencers work from home. Belgian influencers can now use BeCommerce’s address on their channels, to protect their privacy. “With the development of this trustmark we are one step closer to a safe internet environment for the Belgian consumer”, says Sofie Geeroms, managing director at BeCommerce.
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- Source: https://ecommercenews.eu/becommerce-launches-trustmark-for-influencers/