Do insurance companies really check Facebook?!

[Wellington]

Does anyone have any (actual firsthand, or inside industry) info on insurance companies checking your Facebook account? There seems to be a rumour going around that insurance companies check Facebook, and won’t pay out if you have posted your holiday snaps. Whilst I wouldn’t put it past insurance companies, who will do anything to get out of paying, how do they actually do it?! Is there some secret back door where they can access my information without my permission? (would that be legal?). Do they pose as a friend? (Ditto). I don’t accept anyone as a friend that I don’t actually know, and I don’t make any of my posts public, so how could they know?!

I’m especially interested because a number of people have expressed concern over our welfare, and want regular updates to make sure the French haven’t eaten us, and Facebook would be the fastest way to update them all in one go that we’re absolutely fine (which of course we will be. I have no concerns at all myself)

 

[Madcaravanner]

Any post on Facebook that is public is just that

IF you want to post on Faceache and do it privately make a private group that only people you approve can see and make sure sharing is turned off on all images

OR
send private encrypted emails

Because like you I would no be surprised if insurance companies did check public posts on Facebook - -have seen reports from Benidorm where it has been reported some folk tried to claim for injuries when they posted photo's of themselves drinking the next day

 

[49780]

Simple FOIs if the reason is justifiable motor insurance beureau do it all the time. My sister is a claims manager, she won't confirm or deny

 

[Gizmouk]

Don't know about insurance companies, but HMRC certainly check social media.
Take that from experience

 

[Kingham]

I can’t imagine them routinely checking FB, but anytime a fraud is suspected, the investigators will check for anything in the public domain.

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[ShaKen]

Personally I’d be glad if they checked Facebook or any other Social Media to catch fraudsters who all cost us (the law abiding citizen) more for our policies!

And if you are looking for a quick / easy /secure method of sharing updates with family & friends then use WhatsApp. Dead easy to set up a private group.

 

[ShaKen]

ps. I know how social media monitoring tools work. It’s VERY easy for them to associate your social personas (accounts) with your Insurance account - then every time you make a public social post, it can be viewed against your insurance details.

And by using keyword or AI (artificial intelligence) capabilities the sentiment of your posts can be established.....

So if you make a claim on your insurance saying “....it was hellish, we were all sick for days...” whilst your Social Media posts say “....Awesome food and weather - I’m never going back home....” then I’d guess you’d get a call from your insurance company to check for fraud!

 

[jockaneezer]

Remember a simpler time when we would just send a postcard and you were probably back home before the card was delivered ?

 

[Odd-no-more]

If you have your Facebook settings to friends only, then only friends can view what you post, and as long as you only have real friends as FB friends all is well. For keeping people informed privately you may be better off with a Whatsapp group. Whatsapp encrypt all postings so everything is safe.

 

[Wh05apk]

We use WhatsApp for keeping family updated.

It always concerns me some of the posts on here, with posters giving their full holiday itinerary, saying they are catching the ferry tonight and away for 3 months etc, it's not too hard to track people's home addresses down from their various posts on here, giving info of their home town etc, so I would advocate caution in terms of posting movements etc.

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[denisejoe]

We use WhatsApp when we're away. We've got a family group set up. A couple of friends who keep an eye on our house we update by email or sometimes the odd phone call.

 

[steve 6644]

I think we should all have a mad half hour and post all sorts of crap at random that bears no relation to anything to do with us in any way. Do this every day if you can just to screw up any algorithms that may be in play and make every scrap of information they collect complete bollox. That's proper people power at work, I bet they ain't thought of that one yet, the Wabbits.
I bloody hate the digital world,its buggering everything up!
Time for some arse about face book I think.

 

[Gromett]

My instinct would be to say no they don't routinely do this. However my advice as someone who deals with internet security is as follows.

Do not say anything online whether that is via social media, email, private chat or instant message that you wouldn't want to be made fully public.
If you do it on the internet then you are doing it in public no matter how secure the person/company says it is.

If you are concerned about the insurance company finding out ??? it suggests you are doing something you shouldn't be doing? Best to either upgrade your insurance or stop doing whatever it is you think the insurance company will stalk you on facebook to catch you doing.

 

[BobtheBass]

I long for the old days when if you went out for a meal, you took photos of your food then took the film to Boots to be developed. A week later you could take copies of the photos of your lovely meal to all of your friends houses, and also the houses of some local business people and some guys you slightly knew just to let them know what a super meal you had enjoyed.

 

[Bognor Saint]

I don't use Facebook for many reasons but I agree with other posts about using WhatsApp.

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[lorger]

I suppose it’s the same as chatting down the pub, you think it’s only your friends that can hear you but someone sitting behind here’s your heading on holiday. Then they follow you home and now know your address, house robbed while on holiday.
Will the insurance company check the pub for witnesses?

 

[DBK]

There seems to be a rumour going around that insurance companies check Facebook, and won’t pay out if you have posted your holiday snaps.

As has been suggested, if you are meeting the requirements of any insurance policy then posting your holiday snaps on Facebook isn't going to alter anything. The problems may come if say there is a maximum time limit on any one trip and you exceed that. But they have other sources of data and if you say put in a claim for medical expenses then they could legitimately ask you to provide details of when you crossed over by ferry or whatever.

 

[BobtheBass]

The doctrine they use and the clause in the policy they could hang their hat on if they wished is that the policyholder shouldn’t "fail to take reasonable care" to protect their property. If announcing on open social media that you are off on your jollies for two weeks then putting photos of where you are on line each day constitutes a lack of reasonable care might be debatable but some insurers I’m sure may try to repudiate if they thought they could make it stick in court.

 

[Janine]

All of my Facebook friends are people with whom I have shared a meal (except for one but that’s a different story)

My security settings are set to only allow friends to view my posts- not ‘friends of friends’.

In my view, that means that I have taken reasonable care not to publish my whereabouts to all and sundry.

I doubt that my insurance company could take issue with that.

 

[Jim]

Some of the major insurers say they don’t look at claimants social media, while others have said they do. All motorhome policies will have wording that states something like we must take reasonable care to keep our property safe. So it could be argued that you are in breach if you broadcast to the world that your property is empty.

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[Janine]

Some of the major insurers say they don’t look at claimants social media, while others have said they do. All motorhome policies will have wording that states something like we must take reasonable care to keep our property safe. So it could be argued that you are in breach if you broadcast to the world that your property is empty.

So our name on a list of rally attendees published on here would be safe?

 

[Wh05apk]

So our name on a list of rally attendees published on here would be safe?

Probably under gdpr, unless you give explicit consent to publish your details, the organisers should review publishing lists?

 

[SpeedyDux]

My instinct would be to say no they don't routinely do this. However my advice as someone who deals with internet security is as follows.

Do not say anything online whether that is via social media, email, private chat or instant message that you wouldn't want to be made fully public.
If you do it on the internet then you are doing it in public no matter how secure the person/company says it is.

If you are concerned about the insurance company finding out ??? it suggests you are doing something you shouldn't be doing? Best to either upgrade your insurance or stop doing whatever it is you think the insurance company will stalk you on facebook to catch you doing.

I was taught to visualise it being read aloud in open Court.

Then edit ....

 

[rangi]

If you are a constant big "I am, lookee lookee me" on social media,then don't be surprised , if various people, like, prospective employers, the coppers , insurance companies, job centres, et al, check up on you
Brag or spill your guts on any subject, you can be found, and it can be used against you if you are in public office , even years later!
Big brother is watching you!

 

[Just smiffy]

Wouldn’t worry about Facebook, if they want info on you they will, it’s relatively easy....

Big brother is watching....

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[steve 6644]

No, it's F"£$%ing you!

AI is switching us off, make the most of your perceived freedoms, they are in the process of being controlled for your own good, by pure logic based, systems, in which humans do not figure or matter.

Oh Please!, WAKE UP!!!!!

 

[Gromett]

Some of the major insurers say they don’t look at claimants social media, while others have said they do. All motorhome policies will have wording that states something like we must take reasonable care to keep our property safe. So it could be argued that you are in breach if you broadcast to the world that your property is empty.

Ah. I didn't realise that is what the OP was talking about...

Basic security then. Only share with friends rather than friends of friends or public. Better yet, as others have said whatsapp group is probably more suitable.

Apologies if my earlier post suggested the OP was doing anything dodgy.

 

[steve 6644]

I thought that was rather good for a rant

 

[gus-lopez]

I found,like my middle bro- in-law.that various different names helps.lol

 

[Jagtazman]

If they suspect fraud then I can confirm that they do. Not sure it's common practice but social media will be reviewed
As mentioned above for other reason I recommend checking your social media setting to make sure it's not public.

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