A California woman competed in beauty pageants in high heels while complaining to her doctor that she couldn’t walk without crutches.

A Los Angeles warehouse worker posted a picture on Facebook after having bowled a perfect game, all while claiming a back injury prevented him from working.

Another man claimed he was too injured to work, but posted videos of himself racing on a BMX bike.

While these obvious instances of workers’ comp fraud are extreme, they carry an extremely valuable lesson for those who do have a legitimate workers’ comp injury. Insurance companies hire private investigators who are trained to scrutinize every aspect of your life. If you are posting what you are doing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., you run the risk of having your injury claim ruined.

Investigators can use just about anything you post on social media against you. So here are some helpful tips to keep your claim from getting spoiled. 

  • Don’t post anything about your case, including speculation about the money you’ll receive, the advice of your lawyers or anything at all, really.
  • Don’t post pictures of yourself in social situations, or allow your friends to tag you in their photos. You might just be joining a group outing for a short while to get the mind off your pain, but those pictures can be used against you. 
  • Don’t accept friend requests or allow people you don’t know to follow you. Investigators will make fake profiles and attempt to gain access to your account, just to scrutinize you.
  • And speaking of friends, don’t allow your friends and family to post about the case as well. They can be monitored just as easily as you can.

 

Do make sure to have your privacy settings as tight as possible to help prevent these types of situations. If you need help, there are several websites that will show you how to lock down your social media profiles so that you only share with people you know.

If you’ve been injured in a work comp accident, you need an experienced attorney to help you get through these potential pitfalls.

Call us today at 816-842-7100 to speak with an attorney. Or you can click here to email us and schedule your free consultation. We take all injury cases on a contingency basis, which means that we don’t get paid unless we win the case for you.

Jason C. Amerine
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President and Owner, Castle Law Office of Kansas City