Do insurance companies look at your social media?
Insurance companies are well within their rights to scour your social media profile. Keep in mind, insurers aren't looking for photos of your friends, families, or pets.
The insurance companies view social media as a worthwhile investment to increase the company's profitability. The investigator will typically search for your name and known aliases in at least one or two popular social media platforms. These platforms typically include: Facebook.
So, yes—your social media activity can raise your insurance premiums, depending on what you post and the type of policy you're purchasing or renewing.
Seeing what clothes or items you shop for online may seem harmless, but there are much bigger concerns. Insurance companies and creditors could potentially buy this information from data brokers and use it against you.
Can the Insurance Company Read Your Text Messages? Your insurance company cannot invade your privacy. However, like with phone calls, they can request to see records. They may be trying to prove you were making a call or a text before the accident.
Vetting culture fit:Some people post about their values, goals and personality on their social media profiles, allowing you to get a sense of how they could contribute to the company culture. A social media background check can ensure that applicantsuphold your company's mission even when they are not on the clock.
Social media data provides insurers with an opportunity to gain insights into a customer's risk exposure in real time. But it comes with many challenges. With more pressure than ever to offer competitive pricing, insurers are seeking innovative ways to leverage additional data sources in underwriting.
Your credit score doesn't have a direct effect on your life insurance premiums. However, when you apply for life insurance, insurers will do a soft inquiry of your credit report and the same factors that hurt your credit score can also hurt your options for life insurance coverage.
If no one claims the life insurance benefits within a specific time frame, insurers should act. Most state laws require life insurance companies to make reasonable efforts to locate all beneficiaries.
Insurance trackers plug into your car using a port typically found below your steering wheel. This is the same connection that a mechanic uses to read your car's computer data and discover any problems with your vehicle. The insurance company's device also reads your computer's data.
Do companies check WiFi activity?
If you have a connection to the company network, your employer has the right to track your internet activity. They can also monitor you if you are using a work computer but are not connected to the local WiFi.
Yes. An incognito browser only hides searches from the local device it is installed on. The WiFi owner has access to the admin panel from the WiFi router, meaning they can see the browsing information performed on their WiFi network. Additionally, your ISP can also see all traffic, regardless of the browser being used.
In some situations, phones will have a timestamp on videos and phones. The insurance company may gather information to prove that you were at fault because you were recording yourself, talking on a video phone, or otherwise using your camera while driving.
Insurance companies cannot legally tap your phone, which includes listening to your calls or reading your messages, without explicit permission or a legal warrant.
If they want to access your work phone text messages, they may need to go to the phone company to do so, but it's an option. Even your communications on a personal device may be accessible. If you are logged onto the employer's Wi-Fi, IT can use programs to monitor the websites and domains you visit.
Such things could include posts exhibiting excessive cursing, pictures of hard partying, or extreme political opinions. The red flags that may come up during a social media background check, and that companies should take seriously, are: Unlawful activity (drugs, underage drinking, etc.) Racist or sexist comments.
Employers also check social media for any reason not to hire a candidate. Pictures or videos behaving in an immature, reckless or offensive way can work against an employee.
Legally, your employers cannot force you to post professional content on your personal social-media accounts. Their asking you to do so is a mighty convenient way of expanding social reach without investing more in the social-media team. You aren't being difficult by having personal boundaries.
Underwriters and loan officers typically check the previous two months' bank activity in your bank statements. For self-employed mortgage applicants, however, they may go back up to 12-24 months.
When trying to determine whether you have the means to pay off the loan, the underwriter will review your employment, income, debt and assets. They'll look at your savings, checking, 401k and IRA accounts, tax returns and other records of income, as well as your debt-to-income ratio.
Can you be denied after underwriting?
Yes. Many lenders use third-party “loan audit” companies to validate your income, debt and assets again before you sign closing papers. If they discover major changes to your credit, income or cash to close, your loan could be denied.
Why do insurance companies use credit information? Some insurance companies have shown that information in a credit report can predict which consumers are likely to file insurance claims. They believe that consumers who are more likely to file claims should pay more for their insurance.
In some cases, having negative information on your credit report can cause an insurance company to deny your application for a policy outright, regardless of how healthy you are. If you're in the midst of bankruptcy proceeding, for instance, you might have a hard time getting an insurance company to offer you coverage.
Credit-based insurance score
As previously stated, insurance companies won't check your credit score so the actual number won't affect insurance rates. But they do look at your credit history on your credit report. And like credit bureaus, insurers use that same credit information to calculate an insurance score.
Illegal activities
Generally, life insurance policies exclude coverage for deaths arising from participation in illegal activities or criminal behavior. Additionally, in some instances, the insurance provider could deny coverage for a death resulting from an illegal drug overdose or drunk driving.
References
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