With the summer fast approaching, thoughts turn to holidays in the sun and getting away from it all for a couple of weeks.
I wonder how many of your clients can’t resist the temptation of sharing their plans with friends and family as soon as they book their holiday through their Facebook page? How many post photos of their travels while they’re still away from home? How many allow their smartphone or tablet to update their Facebook page to reveal where they are at any particular moment?
Those that do could be in for a nasty shock. If their home is burgled while they’re on holiday, they run the risk of having an insurance claim rejected.
The Financial Ombudsman has revealed concerns that consumers don’t realise that their home insurer may check their social media accounts if they make a claim for a break-in and many fail to appreciate the duty of care they have to keep their details private to guard against theft.
The Association of British Insurers says that no UK insurer has rejected a home cover claim on the basis of a social media post – however that doesn’t mean that they won’t going forward. In the USA, insurers use computer programmes to check policyholders’ social media profiles before paying out and UK motor insurers are increasingly looking at social media sites when researching a claim to help in their fight against fraud.
It may benefit your clients if you help them understand how and why insurers may look into their online profiles and highlight the risks involved with sharing too much information in their social media posts. Here are a few tips to pass on:
1.Use proper privacy settings on any and all social media accounts. Make sure they understand what each site’s privacy setting means in practice and how they can limit access to personal information
2.Update privacy settings regularly so that personal
information about their family and children, for example, is shared only with those they know well
3.Don’t include too much personal information that could make them vulnerable to identity fraud
4.On some social media sites, people that aren’t approved friends can still see some details so it’s worth checking what they will be able to see. On Facebook they can choose to make people ‘limited friends’ so they will only have access to a cut-down version of their profile
5.Take the time to teach their children about online safety and ensure they are using the appropriate privacy settings and not divulging to much personal information
6.Use strong passwords and logins to prevent their account being misused
7.Don’t reveal dates in advance when they are going to be away and their home unoccupied for any period of time. Wait until after the event to talk about and post photos of their holiday or day trip
8.When filing an insurance claim, it is essential to be honest and open about the details – however they could inadvertently be accused of fraud if they file a claim for burglary that happened while away as soon as they return home, but post distressed pictures of their ransacked home online first. It’s been known, believe me!
Staying safe online isn’t just about protecting privacy, it’s about protecting physical assets too and ensuring that insurance cover isn’t voided but can respond as it should in times of trouble.
Phil Lewis is head of compliance & risk at Source Insurance
