Surge in Fake Sick Notes Costs France billions, prompts Increased Scrutiny
France is battling a growing problem of fraudulent sick leave, with 8.8 million compensated work stoppages recorded in 2024 - a 7% increase from teh previous year – totaling over 10.8 billion euros in costs. Authorities are cracking down on increasingly complex schemes involving falsified documents and even entirely fabricated companies designed to exploit the system.
A “false work stoppage,” according to Estelle Coulet, an expert in the field, isn’t simply a forged note. It encompasses a range of deceptions, including altered signatures, manipulated dates intended to extend leave duration, and falsified salary certificates used to claim benefits. The fraud extends beyond individual claims, with some instances involving the creation of entire fictitious businesses to facilitate fraudulent payouts. This impacts the national healthcare system,employers,and ultimately,taxpayers. Investigations are intensifying,with authorities analyzing practitioner activity and sanctioning proven cases of fraud.
Coulet explains that a false work stoppage is “a document that reaches us and on which an element has been falsified…the support which is false: a false signature, dates modified by hand by the patient, such as to extend the duration or even falsified salary certificates.” She adds that sometimes, “the entire structure of a company is even set up from scratch for cause someone to benefit from a fraudulent judgment.”
Authorities are employing a multi-pronged approach to detection. “We have a wide range of actions to fight against fraud well beyond just work stoppages,” Coulet states. This includes analyzing the practices of healthcare professionals based on reports from patients, colleagues, and internal databases, identifying anomalies and fictitious claims subject to sanctions when proven.
