As fraud attempts become more and more numerous in France, Internet users are constantly on guard. Any suspicious email can sow doubt. This was also the case with an email sent by Health Insurance to confirm the rights of its members which quickly sowed discord due to its questionable content.
The reason why this letter sows doubt among the people who received it is the fact that it contains some rather questionable wording. “ As part of our periodic checks, we need to verify that the conditions of stability and regularity of your stay in France are met. “, he mentions.
“ You must send us this letter and a photocopy of your residence permit or document. “, can also be read. What confirms the doubts is the signature of the letter: “ Ameli Martin, your Health Insurance correspondent “.
However, this is in no way a phishing attempt, although everything points to it. The Primary Health Insurance Fund (CPAM) is really the author of this email and sent it in order to verify certain information from its members to maintain their rights.
In certain cases, the CPAM is unable to obtain information from administrations, such as the Ministry of the Interior, the tax authorities or France Travail. Consequently, its only solution is to request these supporting documents from its members, which is the simplest way to check their eligibility. Concerning the dubious signature, the CPAM confides that it is a simple computer glitch.
The Health Insurance email is not an attempted scam. Here’s how to recognize scams
Regarding this latest email from the CPAM, people who received it are required to respond to it as quickly as possible in order to continue to benefit from their rights. However, similar emails are sent daily by scammers who impersonate institutions known to dupe their victims.
When the email asks for bank details, or encourages you to validate a bank transaction, distrust is required. If in doubt, it is recommended to contact the organization issuing the email directly to confirm that it is not an attempted scam.
Likewise, it is recommended to never communicate your bank details by email, even if it is the bank that requests them. This type of information cannot be disclosed in this way and must remain confidential.
