Social media vs. insurance
11/13/2013 5:30 PM ET
By Beth Orenstein, Insure.com
Lots of people can't wait to document their every move on Facebook, Twitter and other social media these days. When it comes to auto insurance, you should think twice before hitting 'send.'
A woman in Florida told her auto insurer that a hit-and-run driver had hit her car. She filed a claim for the damages. Then she went on Facebook and posted on her page how her daughter had caused the automobile accident.
Before the insurer paid her claim, its investigators searched social media and discovered the lie. She was later convicted of filing a fraudulent claim.
Such scenarios are happening more frequently these days.
Property and casualty insurers are increasingly using social media channels to investigate whether their customers' claims are genuine, according to a recent report by Timetric, a provider of online data, analysis and advisory services headquartered in London. Timetric's 2013 study found that fraud investigators use social media to investigate auto, fire and burglary claims the most.
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Social media vs. insurance