It is difficult to remain immune from scam attempts. Difficult even for those who have been journalists for decades and have even dedicated a book aimed at children to the dangers of false information. Yet, despite the maximum state of alert, the distrust towards unknown numbers, the hundreds of fake emails thrown away, It happens that an unfavorable situation, a moment’s distraction, a moment of vulnerability, haste, can lead anyone to fall, as they say, with all their feet and shoes, into a truly artfully crafted scam, just to fall for it.
I’m talking about the health card scam that has been going on for months. The alarm had not yet been raised when I received a very well-crafted email, with a completely credible sender, and information that I believed only the NHS could possess: my expired health card. The email said that all I had to do was click on a link, enter my details and make a bank transfer of 5 euros. A small amount, although anomalous: I didn’t remember ever having had to pay to renew the card. But, “it’s raining, thieving government”, and I thought of a new tax to raise cash.
The fact is that I really was in possession of an expired card, because the most recent one had been stolen from my bag along a stretch of the subway, along with all my documents, my wallet and my cell phone, which is certainly not an uncommon phenomenon in Milan. So, after having redone my driving licence, identity card, debit card and credit card, for the card I thought I’d get an older one, which however hadn’t yet expired because that too had made up for another wallet theft. Except that now that recovery card had long since expired and I was afraid that I would be made a fuss in a medical center. But I always put it off (digitalization hasn’t made us immune to laziness), when that email arrived. Well, the Ministry somehow knew it and had the procedure ready: click. Even if with the tax. No suspicion.
Life engulfed me with all its tasks and worries and I was convinced that I would soon find the new health card in the mailbox. But the card didn’t arrive. Instead, news came out that a scam was taking place against citizens on their health cards. Only in that moment did I realize all my superficiality. I had loosened the internal warning system and had fallen into the trap.
Not bad for those 5 euros transferred who knows where into the pockets of the scam lords, but how many flagellations for my stupidity. The sense of shame, so common in people who find themselves victims of scams, literally paralyzed me and I continued to walk around with the old expired card.
Until I read about a new alarm from the Ministry of Health: the phishing emails are continuing, somewhat changed in form, but it seems that they continue to harvest fish that bite, like myself.
And then, as if awakened from my torpor, I did the simplest thing in the world: I entered the portal of the Ministry of Health (you enter with SPID, CIE, the usual procedures), under “Health card”, I ticked the “Loss and theft” box and requested a duplicate. Simple, quick, free.
May at least my misadventure serve as a warning to myself and help keep those who will read my testimony-confession on alert. Making mistakes, falling into the network of scammers, can happen to anyone, even seasoned journalists. So no guilt, but… awakened senses. Remembering that the health card is free, it arrives at your home automatically when it expires and, if lost or damaged, you can always request a duplicate. And in any case, when faced with a suspicious or unusual message, the rule remains the same as always: do not click on the link, do not enter personal or payment data and cancel the communication immediately.
