Tag Archives: Social media discovery

In the last 10 years, with the explosion of internet speed and accessibility, the average person has developed a large online footprint.  Social media has taken off as a way for people to keep in touch, share pictures, and network business.  People post a tremendous amount of personal information on sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+, much of which is available to the general public.  The stats alone tell the degree to which the world population is using social media services:

• Facebook: 1.28 billion users

• Twitter: 255 million users

• LinkedIn: 300 million users

• Google+: 300 million users

• Instagram: 200 million users

Pre-litigation social media investigations by insurance adjusters

As an insurance adjuster, it is critical to investigate the social media presence of the claimant and even your own insured at the outset of a claim.  Upon receipt of a new claim:

• Search for any publicly available information on social media sites that the claimant has made available at the earliest opportunity.  Save to PDF or print what is available.
• Google the opposing party’s name, followed by “twitter,” “facebook,” etc.
• Consider hiring an independent investigator to conduct the investigation.  If the case were to go to litigation, the investigator could provide the necessary authentication for the evidence.

While it may seem obvious, do not try and befriend the claimant online in order to gain access to their information.  Don’t create an account under a false name to gain access to their information.  What is available publicly is generally fair game to investigate. Read More…