Received a social media friend request from someone you don’t recognize? It could be your insurance company. Insurance adjusters now commonly scan the social media pages of individuals who have filed claims with them. Now, more than ever, it’s important to know your online friends, adjust your security settings and post updates with care.
Tighten your social media security settings to enjoy increased online privacy.
Research Friend Requests
While you’ve likely always been on alert for scammers trying to befriend you on social media, you must now also be on the lookout for friend requests from your insurance company. Insurance adjusters sometimes send friend requests to individuals whose pages they want to research for accident-related updates.
After receiving a friend request on social media, research the individual’s page. If you can’t instantly identify the individual as someone you know, chances are good that it’s a scammer or that it’s someone from your insurance company. If you don’t know them, deny the request.
Review Your List of Friends
Along with investigating all friend requests, you should comb through your current list of friends on social media. Unfriend all individuals you no longer wish to remain in contact with as well as anyone in your list of friends you don’t know well. You should also decide whether anyone in your list of friends with ties to your insurance company should be removed from your list of social media friends.
Secure Your Profiles
Have you checked the security settings on your social media pages lately? If not, now is the time to tighten the settings of each social media page that you maintain. Security settings vary between social media sites, so the first step is to compile a list of your various social media profiles. You should then learn more about the security settings of each site and ensure your settings are at the highest level of security. By tightening your page’s security settings, you’ll reduce the chance that a curious insurance adjuster will be able to access your updates.
Don’t Post Accident Updates
According to Involved in an Accident in Florida: Six Things Personal Accident Lawyers say you Shouldn’t Share on Social Media, never post accident-related updates to your social media pages. While your friends and family may want to know what happened and if you’re alright, any updates you post could be used against you if accessed by your insurance adjuster. For example, details posted to social media about your medical condition could be compared to any details you gave in your original insurance claim.
Get Legal Advice
If you’re not sure how to move forward after an accident, contact an experienced lawyer. This type of professional can guide you through the insurance claim process, can help you decide what to do about your social media profiles and more.
Don’t make your social media updates visible to the prying eyes of insurance adjusters. Tighten your page’s security settings, post updates with care and, if needed, turn to an experienced lawyer for professional advice.
