The internet is an amazing tool. You can find out a lot of the things that you want to know about a person by using the internet. Insurance companies are also turning to social media to find out about people who are trying to file a claim. By using the internet these insurance investigators can find information about you to possibly reduce your claim or even deny it. A personal injury attorney can educate you in, what you should and shouldn’t be doing with your social media accounts.
Why are Insurance Companies Using Social Media?
In the past, insurance companies did not know much about people who were filing claims. However, thanks to the internet, an insurance company can find out just about anything that they want to about a person. It is important to have accurate information about a person because this allows an insurance company to get a better idea of how much compensation you really need.
Social Media Doesn’t Always Tell The Whole Story
You can find out a lot about a person from their social media page. However, what you see on social media doesn’t always tell the whole story. In 2008, a young woman named Natalie Blanchard took a leave from her job at IBM because she was suffering from severe depression.
She received disability benefits from her insurance company. She was surprised that the checks suddenly stopped coming. A representative from her insurance company told her that the reason they stopped sending her checks was because they saw pictures of her having fun on the beach.
The insurance company said that this was enough evidence to prove that she really wasn’t depressed. Natalie sued the insurance company for this. She stated that pictures can sometimes be misleading because no one posts pictures of themselves crying in a dark room.
Steps You Need to Take to Protect Your Privacy
In order for you to prevent the insurance company from reducing or denying your claim, you will need to take several steps to protect your privacy. Your personal injury attorney will recommend that you avoid doing the following.
- Do not Overshare
You will need to make sure that you limit what you post on social media. Many people go on social media to vent about what they are going through. However, this is a bad idea. Even if you make a vague post, it can still be taken the wrong way.
Employers often misjudge people by what they see on someone’s social media page. Insurance companies do the same thing.
- Be Honest With the Insurance Company
There have been quite a few cases where people have been accused of withholding information from the insurance company because of something that was posted on their social media page. That is why it is important to be honest with the insurance company.
- Check the Privacy Settings
Even if you have strict privacy settings, someone can still look at your page. You should check your security settings. Make sure that the only people who can see what is on your page are your friends and followers.
- Turn off the Geolocation
Many social networking sites have geolocations. While it may be fun to let your friends know where you are at, you do not want your insurance company to know this. That is why you should turn off the geolocation.
- Know What You are Tagged In
You may not post anything that can compromise your insurance claim. However, if your friends tag you in something, then your claim can be reduced or denied. That is why if you are tagged in a questionable photo, then you should remove it.
Call any of our locations if you are looking for an experienced personal injury attorney and you would like a free consultation. You can reach us at one of the following numbers.
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