Although drivers are led to believe that insurance companies have their best interests in mind, this is only part of the truth. Insurance companies are still businesses that need to turn a profit to remain active. Unfortunately, this means that they will always look for a way to deliver the smallest payout, and at times, no payout at all. If you’ve filed a personal injury claim, this will be one of those times where your insurer will be looking for any reason to avoid awarding you any compensation. In some circumstances, they will take it as far as spying on you.
Insurance Company Spying for Personal Injury Claim
It is entirely legal for your insurance company to spy on you after you have filed a personal injury claim. They do this for the simple fact that they are attempting to catch you lying about your injury. If they find you behaving in a way that contradicts any injury you claim to have, regardless of the severity, they will have grounds to reject your claim and therefore, be free of having to award you compensation.
Some of the most common ways insurers will spy on their claimants are as follows:
- Background checks: They will first check if you’ve filed any personal injury claims in the past. Someone who has filed several claims will likely be suspicious in their eyes. They’ll also check the validity of your current address, place of employment, and any other personal details that may be relevant to your case. Insurers have been known to conduct internet research as well into social media accounts, for example, to see if there have been any recent occurrences of you behaving in a way that contradicts your claimed condition.
- Waiting outside of your home or work: This is often done in combination with another tactic, taking photographs. They do this, again, to try and catch you in any activity that may be impossible to perform with the physical impairments you may have described. For instance, if you claimed that you suffered a leg injury from the accident, they will try to catch you walking your dog, or climbing a ladder.
It may sound extreme, but, unfortunately, it is a common practice that insurers employ as a way to get out of providing you the compensation you need for recovery. Their only legal restrictions in such activities are that they cannot access your private data (such as hacking into email accounts, for example), and they cannot break into, or otherwise trespass, into your property.
What to Do if You Believe You Are Being Spied On
It can be quite unnerving to know that your insurer is spying on you, especially if all you are asking for is simple compensation for medical assistance. Sadly, even within legal restrictions, they do not always play fair. Investigators may take photos out of context from social media, or even use one photo as proof that you do not need compensation, despite a single moment’s inability to represent chronic pain.
If you believe that your insurer is spying on you, call an attorney today for a case evaluation and to determine the best route of action to protect yourself from the invasion of privacy.
