{"id":79857,"date":"2017-03-20T10:21:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-20T10:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=907ef56505af3824153fbf07faa083a2"},"modified":"2017-03-20T10:21:00","modified_gmt":"2017-03-20T10:21:00","slug":"press-release-cma-launches-campaign-to-crack-down-on-cartels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=79857","title":{"rendered":"Press release: CMA launches campaign to crack down on cartels"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA<\/abbr>) is targeting illegal cartels \u2013 businesses which cheat their customers by agreeing not to compete with each other in order to keep their prices high. The practice stops ordinary people and other businesses from getting a fair deal as well as stifling competition.<\/p>\n

The CMA<\/abbr>\u2019s campaign \u2018Cracking down on Cartels\u2019<\/a> will encourage people who have witnessed illegal activity to report it, by offering a reward of up to \u00a3100,000 as well as promising them anonymity.<\/p>\n

Andrea Coscelli, Acting Chief Executive, said:<\/p>\n

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Cartels are a form of stealing that cheat ordinary people as well as other businesses by undermining competition, and we are committed to tackling them wherever we find them. Cartels are carried out in secret to make you think you are getting a fair deal, even when you are being conspired against to keep prices high.<\/p>\n

Cartels are both harmful and illegal, and the consequences of breaking the law are extremely serious. That is why we are launching this campaign \u2013 to help people understand what cartel activity looks like and how to report it so we can take action.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

CMA<\/abbr> research<\/a> found that – whilst most businesses have a shared ethical sense that conduct such as price-fixing is unfair or wrong – less than a quarter of businesses said they knew competition law well.<\/p>\n

This research has led to the creation of the first advertising campaign run by the CMA<\/abbr> specifically designed to stamp out cartel activity and encourage people to report it to the CMA<\/abbr>. Adverts will appear in people\u2019s social media feeds, such as Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as on key websites.<\/p>\n

Cartels have been uncovered in a range of industries and the campaign builds on recent CMA<\/abbr> cartel cases. These have included:<\/p>\n