How Your Social Media Posts Could Affect Your Home Insurance Claims?
In this modern world where we can connect with people across the globe in just a few clicks, posting and sharing everything about our life in social media has become a new norm. We often see how people post and share on their social media accounts whenever they have a new home, gadgets, or even when traveling.
We’ve become obsessed with posting our #travelgoals be it with their family, friends or lovers. But did you know that posting photos while you’re away from home or when you overseas make you ineligible for home insurance claims? Here’s what you need to know.
The Rejection
For the past few months, more and more insurers are rejecting claims made by customers stating their houses have been burgled while they’re on a holiday if they shared they’re away from home on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media accounts.
The local police and Financial Ombudsman also issued warnings about sharing their whereabouts on social media, especially if they’re away from home. According to the authorities, this gives the thieves and burglars the opportunity to infiltrate especially since your house is empty.
According to insurers, they invoke a clause stated in a majority of policies that require the customers to take precautions and exercise reasonable and responsible care to keep their properties safe. Posting your holiday photos on social media is one way of negligence on the customer’s part in failing to protect your home.
Therefore, most insurers consider this as a breach of policy. The Get Safe Online government organization also warns customers to think before posting a status on social media. While the idea of posting updates or pics of your great holiday or vacation travel is great, this also gives an opportunity for burglars to commit a crime in your home. According to them, it’s recommended to post your holiday updates after you returned home.
The Challenge in Burglar Claims
According to Pratt, this news should serve as a warning to customers to be very careful before posting on social media. He recommends not making the criminals’ lives easier by making your home their soft targets.
If possible, do not share any sensitive information on social media and lock down your house or install a security feature if you’re away. He also cited how famous celebrities had their homes infiltrated due to social media posts. The recent of them was John Terry who fell victim to an astounding 400,000 burglary after posting his skiing holiday together with his family.
The Financial Ombudsman also released a guide to help customers protect their houses when on a holiday. You can keep your home locked down and protected while you’re away by applying the following tips:
- Set your profile to private (not searchable) using your privacy settings.
- Remove or unfriend the people you don’t trust in your list.
- If possible, turn off your GPS or any location services
- Conduct a public search to see if you if any of your personal and sensitive information is being revealed. If so, start removing your personal information in your profile accounts or pages.
Other Dangers Lurking in Social Media
According to international risk expert Lloyd Figgins, aside from making your home vulnerable to the criminals, you’re also making your life vulnerable to these lawless elements as you post your whereabouts from time to time.
He states that most criminals used social media to track their victim’s movements. You can reduce your chances of becoming the next target by posting your updates a little bit late. For example, you can post updates on that particular place after you’ve moved to another place or in another event, or if you’ve come back home. In this way, the criminals won’t know your actual location, and they cannot find or target you.
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