- January 5, 2022
Most likely, you have had to file a claim that an auto insurance company tried to deny or undervalue your claim. The insurance company might have attempted to refute your claim or offered a modest settlement after a crash in Greenville.
You might be surprised to discover that auto insurance companies occasionally hire private investigators to find evidence they can use against you. They may also opt for other different strategies that they can use against you in court.
Per 100 million vehicle miles driven in South Carolina, each of those drives results in 1.83 deaths. There have been 1,037 deaths in South Carolina this year, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Why Do Insurance Companies Hire Private Investigators?
According to insurance adjusters, the instances of fraud cause them to hike insurance premium rates in order to curb their risks. They claim that in order to avoid any fraud or wrongdoing, they hire private investigators so that it could lead to a clear view of events. According to critics, these corporations do so to overstate their profits by denying legitimate insurance claims.
Accident victims are often told by insurance companies that they should have nothing to hide if they suffer legitimate injury. However, insurance companies are often found to make poor excuses for denying such claims.
Are Insurance Companies Allowed to Spy on You?
Insurance companies can spy on you and while it sounds unethical, it is still legal for crashes in Greenville. An insurance company may try to deny or minimize your claim by photographing you in public, reviewing your public records and social media activity, and following you around the city. Some of this information may aid the company in trying to deny or minimize your claim for your crash in Greenville.
When an insurance company hires a private investigator, they can only do certain things legally. This is generally done when the matter is complicated or there is the potential for a significant profit. Tapping your phone is a prime example of illegal activity.
Furthermore, private investigators are prohibited from taking photographs through your home window, from violating your property, and representing themselves as a police officer or as someone else. This could lead to severe legal consequences.
What Are the Legal Limits of the Surveillance?
Private investigators may be hired by insurance companies to follow up with injured victims, but their authority is limited.
An investigator hired to spy on someone cannot intimidate or bully that person. Bullying involves following someone aggressively and making threats, verbal or non-verbal, that may cause the victim to feel unsafe.
A private investigator is also prohibited from breaking into private property to monitor a person. In such scenarios, the landowner can take legal action by filing a complaint for trespassing on private property.
The private investigator may observe, film, or photograph you when you are away from home, in your car, or somewhere else in the open. However, they cannot take pictures or videos of you in someone’s home through an open window.
Recording conversations is permitted for private investigators, but at least one party must agree to the recording. This concludes that along with phone tapping, a P.I cannot also eavesdrop on your personal conversations.
How Greenville Auto Accident Attorneys Advice You to Protect Your Claim:
In short, Private Investigators are trained professionals who remain in the shadows to dig through your background and daily activities after a crash in Greenville. They will uncover anything that may assist the insurance company to disregard your claim.
Posting on your social media can result in many complications. Social media maintains a record of your personal life that could be visible to everyone. Moreover, posting about your accident and injuries in certain cases could entirely sabotage your claim. Posting about any event that you have attended or a trip with your family or friends could give your P.I all the ammunition they need to trash your claim.
Your doctor should explain to you any limitations you may have due to your injuries from a crash in Greenville. Do not do anything against your doctor’s advice, such as working out or lifting weights. Private investigators may find out about this if you do it outside your home. You may lose your request if you disobey your doctor’s advice.
Give Our Greenville Car Accident Attorney a Call Today:
There are many questions accident victims have, and our Greenville car accident lawyers have helped many of them obtain compensation through our legal services. We offer free initial consultations.
