Warning issued over French carte vitale scams
Residents of France who are registered in the French health system have been targeted in a scam relating to the carte vitale health card.
Scams arriving via email or text message are unfortunately a part of live in France, but the latest one doing the rounds relates to the carte vitale - the vital card for accessing State healthcare.
Numerous residents of France report being targeted by messages telling them either that their card needed renewing, or that their new card was ready and including a website link to click on.
The link then asked for credit card details to cover the cost of postage - these messages are not legitimate.
Did not fall for latest French scam (or latest to me!): renew your carte vitale and give us your credit card details to pay for postage. @frangla @TheLocalFrance
— helenranger (@helenranger) April 18, 2022
The French state health system Assurance maladie has issued a warning about this and similar scams, warning that you should never give out personal details such as ID, bank details or social security number over email or SMS.
Because the French health system works on a reimbursement model - you pay upfront for medical appointments and prescriptions and then the money is fully or partially reimbursed straight into your bank account - Assurance maladie already has bank details for registered users and will never need to ask for them.
A spokesman said: "Assurance Maladie never asks for personal information (medical information, social security number or bank details) by e-mail outside the secure space of the Ameli account.
"All messages of this type are attempts at 'phishing'."
Renewing a carte vitale
The carte vitale allows you to access French state-funded healthcare, and if you have been a full-time resident in France for more than three months you are entitled to apply for one - here's how.
Once you have the card, it does not need to be regularly renewed so there should be no need to apply for a new one.
If your card has been damaged, lost or stolen, you can request a new one be sent out. The simplest way to do this is via your online Ameli account - if you don't have one, here's how that works - or by contacting your local CPAM office by phone or in person. There is no charge for a new card to be sent out.
If you haven't used your card for more than a year - ie you have had no doctor's appointments, medical treatments or pharmacy prescriptions - you may be asked to reactivate the card, you can do this at a borne (card reader machine) in a pharmacy, or ask your pharmacist or doctor to do it for you. This does not require a new card.
If you're travelling to another EU country you will need a Carte européenne d'assurance maladie (CEAM) in order to ensure that any medical treatment you need while abroad will be covered. These are also sent out free of charge, but the cards only last for two years and - annoyingly - there is no reminder sent out when your card expires, so it's up to you to remember to order a new one.
Like the carte vitale, you can order one via Amelie or your local CPAM office.
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Scams arriving via email or text message are unfortunately a part of live in France, but the latest one doing the rounds relates to the carte vitale - the vital card for accessing State healthcare.
Numerous residents of France report being targeted by messages telling them either that their card needed renewing, or that their new card was ready and including a website link to click on.
The link then asked for credit card details to cover the cost of postage - these messages are not legitimate.
Did not fall for latest French scam (or latest to me!): renew your carte vitale and give us your credit card details to pay for postage. @frangla @TheLocalFrance
— helenranger (@helenranger) April 18, 2022
The French state health system Assurance maladie has issued a warning about this and similar scams, warning that you should never give out personal details such as ID, bank details or social security number over email or SMS.
Because the French health system works on a reimbursement model - you pay upfront for medical appointments and prescriptions and then the money is fully or partially reimbursed straight into your bank account - Assurance maladie already has bank details for registered users and will never need to ask for them.
A spokesman said: "Assurance Maladie never asks for personal information (medical information, social security number or bank details) by e-mail outside the secure space of the Ameli account.
"All messages of this type are attempts at 'phishing'."
Renewing a carte vitale
The carte vitale allows you to access French state-funded healthcare, and if you have been a full-time resident in France for more than three months you are entitled to apply for one - here's how.
Once you have the card, it does not need to be regularly renewed so there should be no need to apply for a new one.
If your card has been damaged, lost or stolen, you can request a new one be sent out. The simplest way to do this is via your online Ameli account - if you don't have one, here's how that works - or by contacting your local CPAM office by phone or in person. There is no charge for a new card to be sent out.
If you haven't used your card for more than a year - ie you have had no doctor's appointments, medical treatments or pharmacy prescriptions - you may be asked to reactivate the card, you can do this at a borne (card reader machine) in a pharmacy, or ask your pharmacist or doctor to do it for you. This does not require a new card.
If you're travelling to another EU country you will need a Carte européenne d'assurance maladie (CEAM) in order to ensure that any medical treatment you need while abroad will be covered. These are also sent out free of charge, but the cards only last for two years and - annoyingly - there is no reminder sent out when your card expires, so it's up to you to remember to order a new one.
Like the carte vitale, you can order one via Amelie or your local CPAM office.
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