The National Health Fund (CNS) had warned in January of the risks of providing fake certificates of incapacity for work and the phenomenon of being able to obtain them via online platforms, without consulting or examining a doctor. "In addition to the possible consequences in terms of employment law, the insured person who uses such certificates is exposed to a fine and legal proceedings by the CNS", it stated.
A list of "unknown doctors" was also provided, along with the various levels of fine to which offenders are liable: for up to three days' incapacity to work: €200; for more than three days' incapacity to work: €500; and for a repeat offence, regardless of the duration: €750.
In a parliamentary reply dated Thursday 20 February, the minister for health and social security (CSV) stated that "the phenomenon of fraudulent online certificates of incapacity for work only emerged in 2024. Consequently, no statistics are available for previous years."
145 peoples involved
She told LSAP MPs and that "the CNS has detected almost 265 false certificates of incapacity for work acquired online, involving around 145 insured persons. Some of them submitted several fraudulent incapacity certificates acquired online. To date, more than a hundred executive decisions have been issued, imposing fines and invalidating certificates of incapacity for work, while around 30 cases are currently being examined.”
In addition to the visual checks carried out by CNS officials, computer checks have been introduced, enabling the code of the foreign service provider to be verified, in particular via databases such as the shared directory of professionals working in the healthcare system (RPPS) in France. "If there is any doubt, the CNS contacts the competent bodies and institutions in the country where the disputed certificate of incapacity for work was issued in order to confirm the existence of the issuer. The codes of doctors identified as fraudulent are listed and the database is updated as and when new fraudulent providers are detected on the basis of the code of the provider in question", Deprez said in her parliamentary response.
Read the original French-language version of this news report here / lire en français