Social media platforms can connect West Virginia residents with friends and family all across the globe. Right now, the opportunity to stay connected this way may be more important than ever.
However, if you were recently involved in an accident for which you are making an insurance claim, sharing on social media may not be the best idea. Your posts and pictures may not be as private as you think.
Insurance companies are watching
More than likely, your friends and family are not the only ones looking at your social media. Whether you use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or another platform, you can bet that, once you file an insurance claim after your accident, the insurance companies are watching, too. Even police departments now regularly look at social media in order to check for insurance fraud.
If you post any details about your accident, insurance companies will scrutinize them to see if you left something out when you filed your claim. They also want to see if you are actually as injured as you say you are. Someone is also looking to see what condition your vehicle was in prior to the accident as well. Another piece of information they look for is potential witnesses. Perhaps someone responded to your post about the accident with their own version of the details.
Can they do that?
At this point, insurance companies are not violating any laws by scouring your social media for reasons to deny or delay your claim. Even if you have your permissions set to where not everyone can see your posts and pictures, some adjusters will attempt to “friend” you in order to obtain information.
Not every company allows this, but it is something to watch out for as you get requests to join your friends list. Of course, it’s usually a good idea not to accept such requests from people you don’t know, but right now, it’s even more important.
Protect your rights and interests
Some would recommend that you stay off social media for the duration of your claim, but if you decide not to do that, at least refrain from commenting, making posts or uploading pictures that could jeopardize your claim. You may be wondering what that encompasses, and it could be a lot.
You may want to consult with an attorney to help you make that determination and to help you through the claims process, which will most likely not be as easy as you hope. In addition, your chances of receiving all the compensation you deserve could increase significantly by doing so.