Nghe An launches peak campaign to fight against smuggling and trade fraud

Van Truong• December 10, 2020 09:19

(Baonghean.vn) - Nghe An Newspaper interviewed Mr. Nguyen Van Huong - Director of the Market Management Department (QLTT) of Nghe An about the plan and implementation of measures to control the market before, during and after the Lunar New Year 2021.

Rectifying e-commerce activities

PV:Could you tell us about the outstanding results achieved by the Market Management Department in 2019?
Mr. Nguyen Van Huong:In 2019,Nghe An Market Management Departmenthas effectively implemented directives, plans, and guiding documents of the Government, Prime Minister, National Steering Committee 389, Ministry of Industry and Trade, General Department of Market Management, and Provincial People's Committee, creating positive changes in the fight against smuggling, counterfeit goods, and trade fraud.

Over the past year, the Department has coordinated with businesses and localities to organize propaganda and dissemination of laws on anti-smuggling, counterfeit goods and trade fraud, and ways to distinguish genuine and counterfeit goods in some key areas.

Quản lý thị trường phối hợp các lực lượng đấu tranh chống buôn lậu, hàng giả, gian lận thương mại tại Diễn Châu. Ảnh: Văn Trường

Market management coordinates forces to fight against smuggling, counterfeit goods, and trade fraud in Dien Chau. Photo: Van Truong

Mobilize business owners to sign a commitment not to trade in smuggled goods, banned goods, or manufacture,counterfeit goods trading, goods do not meet quality standards and food hygiene and safety.

In particular, the Ministry of Industry and Trade selected Nghe An as one of the eight key provinces in the plan to rectify e-commerce activities. In order to improve the effectiveness of state management and stabilize the e-commerce market, the Nghe An Market Management Department has developed a plan assigned to Market Management Team No. 11 to preside over and coordinate with the Economic Security Department - Provincial Police to implement.

At first, it was very difficult to determine the exact address of the violators, because the e-commerce business model through social networks did not require a physical location or business location. The authorities encountered many difficulties in identifying and retrieving information and data about the sellers.

Lực lượng QLTT kiểm tra mặt hàng dày thể thao bày bán ở thành phố Vinh. Ảnh: Văn Trường

Market management forces inspect sports shoes for sale in Vinh city. Photo: Van Truong

Violating e-commerce websites, especially those using international domain names, were closed in a short time, making it difficult for authorities to control and identify evidence to fight and handle. With the determination of the Nghe An Market Management Department, from the beginning of 2020 to now, Market Management Team No. 11 has handled 65 e-commerce violations, with a total fine of 1 billion 233 million VND. The main violations are setting up e-commerce websites to sell goods without fulfilling the obligation to notify the Ministry of Industry and Trade as prescribed, not registering a business, trading in smuggled goods, counterfeit goods, goods of unknown origin via social networks...

In 2020, Nghe An Market Management Department detected and sanctioned 3,298 administrative violations, with a total fine of 11 billion 422 million VND, of which 5 billion 610 million VND was administrative fine. The value of confiscated and destroyed goods was nearly 6 billion VND.

Launching a peak period of the fight against smuggling and trade fraud

PV:Could you tell us about the developments in the transportation of prohibited goods, smuggled goods, counterfeit goods, trade fraud and other illegal business activities that often take place during peak times such as the end of 2019 and before the Lunar New Year 2021?
Mr. Nguyen Van Huong:Annual surveys show that the demand for goods in Nghe An often increases sharply at the end of the year and during the Lunar New Year. Therefore, smuggling, counterfeiting and trade fraud activities will become more complicated and tend to increase with sophisticated methods and tricks. Smugglers often transport smuggled goods that are consumed in large quantities into the market such as foreign alcohol, foreign cigarettes, cosmetics, fireworks of all kinds...

Lực lượng QLTT kiểm tra thị trường rượu Tết. Ảnh: Thu Huyền

Market management forces inspect the Tet wine market. Photo: Thu Huyen

Along with that, there is also a situation of fake goods of poor quality and mixed uses circulating in the market, making it difficult for consumers. The goods of unknown origin are mainly cosmetics, shampoo, dried fruits, alcohol, candy, children's toys...; notably, there are also oriental medicine and weight loss drugs. Taking advantage of the fluctuations of the Tet market to increase the prices of consumer goods such as food, construction materials and foods to serve the consumption needs during Tet such as jams, candy, soft drinks, sugar, milk, cooking oil, beer...

PV:To deal with the above situation, what plans and measures has Nghe An Market Management Department had to proactively combat, handle and rectify the above activities, sir?
Comrade Nguyen Van Huong:With the motto of being timely, proactive, and not being surprised by the methods and tricks of smugglers, counterfeit goods producers and traders, and commercial fraud before and after the Lunar New Year, the Nghe An Market Management Department has launched a peak period to fight against smuggling, commercial fraud, and counterfeit goods before, during, and after the Lunar New Year 2021.
The purpose is to effectively implement the Directives, plans, and guiding documents of the Government, the Prime Minister, the National Steering Committee 389, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the General Department of Market Management, and the Provincial People's Committee in the fight against smuggling, trade fraud; production and trade of counterfeit goods, banned goods, poor quality goods, goods that do not ensure food safety and other areas within the assigned functions and tasks.

Many low-quality and counterfeit goods were discovered and handled by the Market Management Force. Photo: Thu Huyen

Strengthen market inspection and control, strictly handle violations of the law, focus on essential goods consumed a lot during the New Year and Lunar New Year, and goods used in the prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Strengthening information and propaganda work to organizations, individuals trading goods and consumers to raise legal awareness in business activities and consumer culture. We also signed a commitment with organizations and individuals trading in the area not to participate in smuggling, commercial fraud, production and trading of counterfeit and poor quality goods.

At the same time, inspect and control essential goods with high consumer demand during the end of the year and Lunar New Year such as electronics, refrigeration, clothing, footwear, food, confectionery, sugar, fruit, wine, beer, cigarettes, cigars, soft drinks, gasoline, animals and animal products... to prevent speculation, hoarding, and unreasonable price increases, ensuring market stability to serve people's Tet needs.

Strengthen coordination with functional forces and local authorities to organize inspections and controls on border and sea routes. Focus on ports, estuaries, border gates, small-scale roads, railways, airways, freight routes, warehouses, wharves, markets, and commercial centers. Strictly handle violations of smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods according to the law.

Cán bộ QLTT tiêu hủy hàng giả, hàng kém chất lượng. Ảnh: Thu Huyền

Market management officers destroy counterfeit and poor quality goods. Photo: Thu Huyen

Inspect and control food safety issues, agricultural, forestry and fishery products; focus on inspecting wholesale markets, supermarkets, frozen food warehouses, frozen food importers and traders, street food production and trading establishments. Combine inspection of signs of speculation, hoarding, illegal price increases; inspect the implementation of goods measurement; Inspect the implementation of legal regulations on prices, price posting and selling at listed prices...