Are You Being Watched By An Insurance Company?
You have filed an injury claim with the insurance company, hoping to be reimbursed for your mounting expenses caused by an accident. But you have the sneaking suspicion that someone is watching you. Are you being paranoid? Maybe not.
Insurance Surveillance is a Real Thing
The insurance industry’s use of surveillance is a real thing. How common is it? Consider that Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board admitted to carrying out nearly 2,500 investigations from 2016 to 2020, many including surveillance.
Insurance companies have a great financial incentive to watch their claimants closely. Insurance fraud is common. And even legitimate insurance claims can cost them thousands and even millions of dollars, eating heavily into their profit margins.
Is it Legal to Spy on a Claimant?
It is perfectly legal to watch insurance claimants as long as privacy issues are not violated.
Insurance companies commonly employ surveillance tactics such as collecting public data on a claimant, watching and tracking any social media activity and even physically following the claimant and videotaping their movements. While insurance companies sometimes have legitimate concerns over fraudulent claims, often they watch claimants in order to
- Possibly discredit a claimant
- Try to get the claimant to drop the claim
- Reduce compensation and payouts
Unfortunately, surveillance often only captures a mere snapshot of the claimant’s activities, causing the insurance company to make broad inferences subject to that snapshot. It rarely captures the overall picture of a claimant’s struggles with their physical or mental injuries. But once surveillance unearths damaging images or information, the claim can be jeopardized.
If you feel you are a victim of insurance surveillance, it is best not to confront the party. Anything you do or say can be equally held against you. Your best resource is to contact an injury attorney who can help you understand your rights and possibly take action against the company if your privacy has been infringed on.
At Hilborn and Konduros, our skilled team of Cambridge, ON personal injury lawyers can help you understand your rights and options when pursuing an injury claim. Call us at (519) 658-6341 or contact us online to schedule a no-cost consultation.
