How social media can derail your workers’ compensation claim

On Behalf of | Oct 11, 2018 | Firm News, workers' compensation

Workers’ compensation is a crucial benefit for workers who are injured or sickened on the job and for their families. Workers’ comp provides income while they are getting medical treatment, recovering and unable to work. Obviously, employers and insurers have a vested interest in making sure that people receiving this compensation are doing so legitimately and that their illness or injury is indeed as bad as they say it is.

Claims fraud investigators have always investigated people receiving workers’ comp. This might have included going to a person’s home or following them and conducting physical surveillance in an attempt to catch them doing maintenance around the house, shooting hoops with their kids, helping a friend move or spending a day on the golf course with their buddies.

Now, thanks to social media, investigators can get evidence of potentially fraudulent or exaggerated claims without leaving their desks. People love to share their activities on Facebook, Instagram and other sites, oblivious to the fact that these may be monitored.

Even if someone who isn’t injured as badly as they claim is careful enough not to share their latest achievement of deadlifting 300 pounds at the gym or hitting a home run for their softball team, someone else might share the photo online.

However, if you or someone else shares an old photo from before your injury? An investigator keeping an eye on your social media presence may not know that.

If your valid workers’ comp claim is denied or in danger because the insurance company believes it has evidence of fraud, talk with an experienced South Carolina workers’ compensation attorney to determine what legal options you have for fighting back.