In brief: More and more, insurance companies are including social media scores in their lifestyle assessments for risk factors.
The full story
While it's a given that insurance companies will check your credit score as part of a risk assessment for life and even health insurance coverage, the emerging trend is also to check social media scores as well.
Just as a credit rating can often give insight into a potential policy holder's financial stress levels, so can a social media score give insight into their lifestyle risk factors, say experts. Attorneys for insurance companies are also using social media to out fraud attempts in court.
"..if someone had a personal injury claim and yet we see them playing softball on the weekends, there's probably going to be a questioning there, most likely from their attorney," says Scott Carmack, an agency field executive for State Farm.
For policy risks, scores are gauged based on lifestyle choices. If your Facebook account, for instance, is full of pictures of drinking, sexual activity, and the like, then you're obviously more at-risk for many things than if it's full of family, exercise, and healthy food.
Summing up
Caution about what you publicly show online is always a good idea, insurance or not.
Photo credits: Stock
