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Posting in Private

Social media is a great way to share the details of your life with your friends and family. But social media is not suitable for sharing information about an accident or insurance claim. Insurance companies are increasingly turning to technology to investigate claims. Part of this effort is looking to social media to find information about claimants. But they aren’t using that information for your benefit; they’re using it to increase their profits.

Can They Do That?

Insurance companies are within their right to check claimants’ public social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. But they aren’t interested in pictures of your pets and what you had for dinner. They want to find information they can use to deny your claim. How do they do this? I’m glad you asked because understanding their tactics is the key to protecting your rights.

What Are They Looking For?

Insurance companies will do anything to find evidence and information about your life to disprove what you tell them. For example, if you told the insurance company you experienced significant pain for weeks after your accident, the claims investigator might turn to your social media pages to find information to the contrary. If your posts show you going out with friends or having a good time, they might say you couldn’t possibly have been in great pain.

Similarly, some claimants have been caught talking about the details of their claims on social media, accidentally revealing bits of information that the insurance companies can use to deny their claim. It happens all the time. Claims investigators have even accused claimants of insurance fraud based on poorly thought out social media posts.

Why It’s Not Fair

But there is an inherent problem in this tactic: a problem insurance companies don’t always acknowledge. People are more likely to downplay the negative in their life on social media. Typically, we post about positive things and keep the negative components of our personal lives private. Furthermore, many of us don’t take social media so seriously that we overthink the consequences of what we’re saying. It’s supposed to be fun and informal! But insurance companies will stop at nothing to use our words against us to devalue or deny claims.

You should always be on guard when dealing with insurance companies. Don’t assume your private life is private. It’s a good idea to abstain from posting about your accident or claim and consider whether insurance investigators could misinterpret your posts. If you want to learn more about what you should do to protect your rights and your claim, consult with an experienced Illinois personal injury attorney in your area. An attorney can help you avoid common insurance claim mistakes.