The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) has launched a study to ascertain the impacts scams directed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have on their operations and on the functioning of competition. In conjunction with the study, the FCCA has opened a survey on its website for the purpose of collecting SMEs´ experiences of scams and their consequences.
Scams hamper business and the conditions under which companies operate, thus affecting competitive conditions in the market place too. Scams are especially problematic, however, for small companies. They often have less expertise and fewer means to detect scams and recover funds lost and than is the case for large companies.
It is not possible to completely eliminate scams, but it is important to find ways of preventing them in order to reduce detriments to competition. To support this work, the FCCA has launched a study to analyse the operating possibilities of SMEs targeted by scams from the perspective of business and competition. The aim is to ascertain the type of scams that SMEs have encountered, the consequences that have arisen and how SMEs have overcome difficulties. In addition, the impact of scams on competition between enterprises will be examined.
The study is based on the relevant literature, statistics, interviews with experts and a questionnaire survey conducted among business and industry organisations. The FCCA´s website also has a survey for SMEs aimed at collecting information on the scams that companies have encountered and the kind of help they have received or would have needed after becoming the target of a scam. The study is expected to be ready in February 2017.
The survey questionnaire (in Finnish) can be found at kkv.fi/huijauskysely and is open until 30 November 2016.
Further information: Helena Tuorila, Senior Research Officer, tel. +358 29 505 3653, firstname.lastname@kkv.fi