Watch CBS News

Insurance Companies Scan Social Network Sites To Investigate Fraud

SAN JOSE (KCBS) – Fair warning to people who might be filing a false insurance claim, as insurance companies are now scouring social networking sites for evidence of fraud.

Frank Scafidi with the National Insurance Crime Bureau said that sites like Facebook have become the go to places for people doing all sorts of investigations.

"You have all these sites now where people can put things that they've done or that they're aware of for whatever reason," Scafidi said. "And very often we find people who are alleged to have committed some crimes, boasting about those or even putting video on a website that demonstrates what it is they've done and that have subsequently generated fraudulent claims."

KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:

But longtime Cupertino worker's comp attorney Brett Borah said the pictures can be misleading.

"Sometimes they do stupid stuff like play volleyball. But what the website doesn't show is that next afternoon, when they spent the whole day in bed popping vicodin, because they really overdid it," he said.

Borah said people generally try to put a happy face on social media sites even though they may be suffering.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.