Watch out for health card scams around Olympics, warn French officials
The Assurance maladie will never ask you to pay to ‘renew’ or deliver your carte Vitale, or ask you for login details
Watch out for increased attempts at health scams in the run up to the Paris Olympics
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A rise in health scams is likely as the final countdown to the Paris Olympics begins, the French healthcare service has warned, issuing advice to people on how to spot scams and avoid falling victim.
The Olympics begin with the Opening Ceremony on July 26, and are set to last until August 11. The Paralympics begin on August 28, and will end on September 8.
The anti-fraud division la Brigade de répression de la délinquance astucieuse (BRDA) said on June 7 that scammers have been working on new schemes specifically to coincide with the Olympics, to take advantage of people’s enthusiasm and travel plans which are thought to make them more susceptible.
In a recent statement, the Assurance maladie said it fears “an upsurge in attempts at fraud and cyber-maliciousness", and especially warned people to be alert to scammers trying to pass themselves off as "agents of your local caisse d’Assurance maladie”.
This “is set to become even more widespread in France during the Olympic and Paralympic Games”, it said.
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Phishing attempts
The agency has warned people to be especially alert to ‘phishing’ attempts.
This is when scammers send emails, texts, or links that appear very similar to real communications from - in this case - the Assurance Maladie. The messages usually ask for personal data.
This might include asking for your social security number, your Ameli login details, or bank account details. Other common scams include those asking for you to pay to renew your carte Vitale, or to have a new card sent to you.
How to spot an Assurance maladie scam
The Assurance maladie advises that it will never ask you for:
It also states that it will never give you a very tight deadline or pressure you to act within days or hours.
Be aware that there is never any cost to have a new carte Vitale made or delivered to you (delivery is always free). Similarly, a carte Vitale does not need to be ‘renewed’ regularly. It only needs to be updated once a year by your pharmacist.
Read also: Carte Vitale: What do I do if I lose my French health insurance card?
Read also: Carte Vitale scam: People in France warned over fake emails and texts
Other common scams include:
A request to “update your file” in order to keep receiving reimbursements
A request for your bank details (or to confirm them) so they can make a transfer to you
An alert about ongoing fraud on your account (Bank or Ameli account).
How does the Assurance Maladie contact people?
A genuine Assurance maladie agent will only contact you using very specific numbers or addresses.
The Assurance maladie only contacts people from the following numbers:
Before clicking on any link (even if it looks like the ones above), hover your mouse over the link, without clicking. If the address that comes up on your screen (often in the left-hand corner) appears to redirect you to another site, the link is very probably a scam.
Genuine emails from the Assurance maladie will always have one of the following endings:
Any variation on these, even if they are very similar (e.g. @ameli-fr.com or @ameli.info.fr), is not genuine.
On calls with genuine Assurance maladie agents, they will always give you their name, department and their CPAM details.
They will also have access to your file.
They also recommend that when speaking to someone from the Assurance Maladie, you always ask the agent “to tell you the last reimbursement paid into your account (indiquer le dernier remboursement versé sur votre compte)”.
Check that they are correct before you proceed.
The Assurance maladie recommends a 6-step process when receiving an SMS or email message:
Be alert to emails or messages that you are not expecting
Check the address or number of the sender
Do not let yourself be taken in by threats or apparent urgency
Do not enter any personal details on a non-secure site (sometimes these begin with ‘http://’ rather than ‘https://’, or do not show a padlock logo in the browser URL field)
Trust your instincts
Report any fraudulent SMS or emails
What if I think I have received a scam message?
You can report a potentially fraudulent email or text message to the official Pharos portal, or forward the text message to the same service at 33 700.
What if I think I have fallen victim to a scam?
If you have shared data from your Ameli account, contact your CPAM immediately on 36 46. If you have passed on your bank details, contact your bank immediately.
Then lodge a complaint with the gendarmerie, a police station, or in writing with the public prosecutor.
