Southern California Injury Lawyer Blog
After being injured in a serious accident, the last thing people worry about is the insurance companies spying on them. More and more insurance company adjusters and or investigators resort to the Internet to investigate individuals who are presenting an injury claim.
Many years ago, before the advent of the Internet and the social networking websites, it would cost an insurance company thousands of dollars to hire a private investigator to follow a claimant around, to determine the legitimacy of an injury claim. The cost and the effort required to conduct such an investigation, usually limited it to major insurance claims, such as a long-term disability claim, workers’ compensation claim, or a catastrophic injury claim.
However, now an insurance adjuster can sit in his or her own cubicle and within a few minutes locate anyone’s online profile, on websites such as facebook, twitter, myspace, or any number of other online resources.
We have noticed that many insurance companies conduct routine online searches to gain access to injury victims’ profiles, using their email addresses, names and other identifying information. Even in cases that involve very serious and REAL injuries, insurance companies can gain information to the detriment of the injured party using very questionable tactics. For example, pictures, videos and postings regarding vacations, travel schedules, or outdoor activities are often used to raise doubts about the validity of an injury claim.
After being involved in any serious injury, such as a car accident, motorcycle accident, pedestrian accident, trucking accident, bicycle accident, drunk driving accident, or a slip and fall, it is a good idea to be aware of the information that is available to the public, online. Expect to be investigated, spied on, and checked out!
When injured, it is always a good idea to consult with an experienced personal injury lawyer. You may always contact anyone of our offices in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, or Miami.