France warned against Carte Vitale email scam
The French public is being warned against a new email scam inviting people to update their Carte Vitale insurance card by 鈥渇illing in an online form鈥�, medical insurance agency l鈥橝ssurance Maladie has said.
The scam is particularly 鈥渨ell done鈥�, , but is completely false, and should be deleted immediately if you receive it. There is no 鈥渘ew Carte Vitale鈥� and therefore no need to fill in any forms to receive it, the agency confirmed.
The scam email appears legitimate at first glance, and bears the logo of the national French website 鈥淪ervice Public鈥�, including an image of La Marianne and the red, white and blue colours.
The text then invites readers to click on a link, allowing access to fill in a form 鈥渢o receive a new Carte Vitale鈥�. The form is false, and will simply send your personal details straight to the scammers.
The Assurance Maladie is warning people that it would never ask for personal data via email; be it medical information, social security number, or bank details.
The agency has also said that it would never write 鈥渋n red font鈥� - in contrast to the scam email, which contains text in the colour red - because it would be considered 鈥渢oo visually aggressive鈥�.
If you ever receive any emails asking you to fill in your personal details or claiming that you need to change sensitive data or records - such as your Carte Vitale or similar - it is always good practice to ignore the email completely and check with the authority directly.
The best web address for this is usually , typed directly and manually into a new browser, rather than through any email links.
