Can Social Media Hurt My Property Damage Claim?

If you recently incurred property damage and are now pursuing an insurance claim, it is wise to avoid using social media outlets at all costs. This is because, even if it is not intentional, the information you post on your social media channels may contradict the information you share with your insurance provider. Ultimately, this may minimize or altogether eliminate the payout you receive from your provider. Read on to discover how your social media usage might hurt your property damage claim and how one of the seasoned New York residential property damage claim attorneys at The Law Office of Craig A. Blumberg can offer you sound legal advice.

In what ways can my social media usage hurt a property damage claim?

You must assume that everything you post on your social media channels is publicly accessible information; this is regardless of whether your privacy settings are turned on. Therefore, you must assume that your insurance provider will investigate your social media before determining the payout to send out to you, if any at all. In due time, you may see that this hurts your property damage claim.

As an example, say that you post photos of your damages, and within your caption, you say that you and your property are “okay.” You may just post this to update your loved ones on your situation, and to assure them that they do not have to worry about you. However, your insurance provider may use this to argue that you are exaggerating the extent of your damages in your claim.

Similarly, say that you post videos of a party you hosted on your property, and there are no visible damages or hazards in the background. While your property damage might not be visible in these videos, your insurance company may still take these posts at face value.

What social media tips should I follow during the claims process?

You do not want to give your insurance provider more ammunition to shut down your property damage claim. With that being said, it is in your best interest to follow the below social media tips during your claims process:

• Do not post anything about yourself or your property during your claims process; ask your loved ones to do the same.
• Do not communicate with anyone using the direct messaging tool on your social media accounts; ask your loved ones to do the same.
• Remove any posts that you have been tagged in that might be misinterpreted; ask your loved ones to stop tagging you for the time being.
• Do not accept any new followers for your social media accounts, even if you think you personally know them; this may be your insurance provider in disguise.

So when it comes to dealing with your insurance provider, there is no question that the competent New York residential property damage claim attorneys are the best fit for you. Be sure to get in touch with The Law Office of Craig A. Blumberg at your earliest possible convenience.