Do Insurance Companies Really Put People Under Surveillance?

Yes. They will frequently send an investigator out to monitor your actions for several days. The investigator will observe you whenever you leave your home and note what he or she observed you doing, such as running errands, carrying bags, driving, how far you walked from the parking spot to the store entrance, and how long you were out of the house. Investigators will also search the Internet for your name, and immediately try to find any social networking pages, such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. If you post anything on those pages that is available to the public and that the insurer can construe as inconsistent with what you or your doctor has reported to the insurer, it will likely be used to deny your claim or terminate your benefits. For example, your limitations may state you cannot sit for more than 10 minutes, but you posted having a great day at the beach, the insurer will certainly terminate your benefits (even if you had to lie down the entire time).