A 40-year-old pharmacist was called to Toulouse police headquarters. She allegedly billed the purchase of very expensive drugs to receive reimbursements. The total amount of the scam amounts to 400,000 euros.
The method went unnoticed for more than two years. This technique used by a pharmacist allowed him to embezzle almost 400,000 euros! This 40-year-old woman was questioned this Tuesday by police from the financial brigade on the left bank of Toulouse.
The scam started in December 2021. At the time, the manager of a pharmacy in Colomiers, west of Toulouse, had taken over the business for two years. It quickly identifies gaps in the drug reimbursement system. She believes that CPAM checks are rare and fraud often goes unnoticed due to the complexity of reimbursement systems.
This woman takes the opportunity to charge for actions she never performed. His scheme exploits system flaws in an almost undetectable manner. And he applies it until the end of April 2023. During this period, he assures, for example, that he purchased around fifty boxes of Crysvita. This treatment is used to combat bone diseases and diabetes. Individually, this drug costs between 2,000 and 8,000 euros according to the vidal.fr website. Each time the doctor buys it, health insurance reimburses a portion of this amount. His statements, more frequent and louder than average, came to attract attention.
False statements to CPAM
CPAM carried out an inspection. His specialists quickly noticed numerous embezzlements. The €400,000 embezzled was largely due to Crysvita's false purchase declarations. After making sure it was a scam, CPAM forwarded the information to the national police.
During the hearing, this forty-year-old woman, who until then had never been in the spotlight, quickly admitted her mistakes. Was this large amount used to finance another project? Did the manager use it to compensate for a decline in activity? Insistently asked about the causes of her action, this lady did not want to answer the investigators.
At the end of the hearing, she was released. The proceedings are now in the hands of the prosecutor. The prosecutor's office will decide whether or not to send her to the criminal court in Toulouse. For now, his business can stay open and continue to follow customers.