OFT Warns of European Health Insurance Card Scam

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has warned Brits to beware of websites charging for European Health Insurance Cards . The cards are issued by the National Health Service free of charge, though a number of websites have begun to charge consumers around £10 per card. Senior Director of the OFT’s Consumer Group, Heather Clayton, acknowledged that it is not illegal for a website to provide a forwarding and reviewing service, but noted that websites who fail to clarify that they are not the official provider of the cards are acting unlawfully.

The cards can entitle British travellers to free hospital care in the event that they become ill anywhere inside the European Economic Area (EEA). Thus, the card effectively extends the provision of free or discounted healthcare throughout Europe, and is thus an extension to the NHS, rather than a competitor for private medical insurance.

The watchdog has already cracked down on a number of websites selling the European Health Insurance Cards. Three of the most prominent websites enveloped in the scam have agreed to ‘not engage in deceptive selling practices’, while another has been suspended and one has decided to stop trading.