A little-known (or at least, I believe it’s little-known) fact about private investigators is that they are not so much like the heroes of mystery novels. They usually aren’t solving crimes that the cops can’t manage or even searching out if someone is conducting an extramarital love affair. Most of the time, they’re hired by insurance companies like the one that I dealt with for at least two years, who are trying to prove that their claimants are not disabled. According to Marc Whitehead & Associates, a national disability benefits law firm, “Insurance companies do use private investigators to prove the claimant is not as injured as alleged. It is a way for them to deny claims and save money. The aim is to deny as many claims as possible. That is the business model.”
More details from the NY law firm Riemer Hess.
The insurance company will latch onto any social media activity that seemingly contradicts your long term disability claim. This is extremely problematic because your social media profile may not accurately depict your everyday life. People tend to put their best face forward on social media – choosing to share information about happy events and milestones, rather than their everyday struggles.
For example, your social media profile is likely to have more pictures of you smiling than of you struggling with mundane daily activities (e.g., cleaning, cooking, grooming, etc.) or work-related activities (e.g., typing, multitasking, thinking critically, sitting or walking for long periods, etc.). But, when the insurance company looks at your profile, it may assume you simply don’t have any difficulties.
