Calls to tackle carte vitale fraud
Police call for more checks on immigrants with cartes-vitale, while Cnam says they are only part of the problem
INADEQUETE checks by social security authorities leave the system open to abuse by foreigners, according to a confidential document obtained by Le Figaro.
The préfecture de police de Paris (PP) looked at around 30 cases during March and, in a confidential document written in April, expressed concerns about fraudulent use of the carte vitale (used for social security reimbursements) which it is “struggling to evaluate.”
The body said: “It already seems clear that a significant number of cartes vitale remain in circulation when foreigners lose their right to be in the country.”
Many have obtained a carte vitale legally, based on payslips from employers who close their eyes to employees’ situations. It then opens up an “almost legal” existence, as the card number even allows holders to establish a tax declaration.
The préfecture de police de Paris is reminding health body the Cnam of its obligations to check state files confirming the status of an employee that they are about to let enter the system, something rarely done at present.
The Cnam said it was “not against” checks, provided they are carried out in a “controlled way,” said head of the fraud team Pierre Fender.
President of the conseil de la Cnam Michel Régereau said work has already been carried out to crack down on fraud.
He added: “When we find someone in an illegal situation, we stop their rights. But it is not our role to inform on them.”
He added that people without rights to be in the country known as sans-papiers were only a miniscule part of fraud in the social security system.
