Social Media & Your Long-Term Disability Claim
reunion, you can instead catch up with childhood friends by scrolling through photographs of their recent family vacation from the comfort of your living room couch.
Unfortunately, your Facebook or Instagram account can also connect you to an insurance claims adjuster scavenging for information to use against you. Online snooping is real, pervasive—and not disappearing any time soon. At the Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC, we work with clients to firm up their disability claims. Contact us to schedule a free case evaluation with a Maryland long-term disability benefits attorney.
Is Social Media Snooping a Real Thing?
Yes. Many insurance companies admit that they have investigators and claims adjusters snoop through social media profiles. Think of it this way: monitoring your social media accounts is an easy way to see if you are as disabled as you claim.
What are they looking for?
- Pictures of you being active or happy. Let’s say you claim a degenerative disc condition which causes massive lower back pain. They will look to see pictures of you participating in activities or even standing around. They will then claim these pictures show you aren’t really disabled.
- Evidence you have traveled recently. Some social media platforms will track a person, including “check in” information if the user visits a restaurant or other location. An insurance adjuster might check to see if you traveled out of state recently.
- Any statements you made about your condition. You might have made a comment about how you are feeling. Even if you said, “I feel great!” simply to be positive, a shady insurance company might claim your condition has improved and cut off benefits.
Also, remember that other people can tag you in pictures—even if you didn’t post one. Imagine going to a niece’s birthday party and being photographed smiling as you accept a slice of cake. Even though you feel pain, the insurance company might claim you’re perfectly fine.
Mistakes to Avoid on Social Media
We have seen some common mistakes:
- Mistake #1 You keep your profile public. This is an error. A public profile is easier for an insurance company to scroll through, which is why you should set your profiles to private.
- Mistake #2. You add friends. Who knows, the insurance company might try to add you as a friend even after you set a profile private. Remember not to add anyone you don’t know personally.
- Mistake #3. You talk about your condition on social media. We don’t want people to become paranoid, but the less you say about how you feel, the better.
- Mistake #4. You let people tag you in photos. You should disable this function, if possible.
So long as you receive long-term disability benefits, you should be careful about what you post on your Facebook or Instagram page.
Call Our Long-Term Disability Lawyer with Questions
We have other advice for how to bolster an insurance claim. Please call us today to schedule a free consultation.
Source:
guidewire.com/blog/industry-trends/leveraging-social-media-research-in-the-claims-investigation-process/
