Insurers warn against posting holiday plans online
0 commentsThe digital age has allowed us to share every moment of our lives with those around us. The rise of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook has opened the door to new possibilities, and we can now provide real-time updates on anything and everything.
These reports are meant to keep our friends and families better informed, but recent information has suggested that they are not the only ones watching.
The Association of British Insurers has revealed that 40% of Social Network users reveal their holiday plans online, with one in three including details about shorter weekend breaks. It has warned against this practice because this information is being trawled by burglars eager to know when a house is likely to be empty.
The news has led to the suggestion that the social networking activity of an individual making an insurance claim could be taken into account, with insurance companies potentially refusing to pay out if they feel that a customer has been negligent.
However, it has been pointed out that Facebook has a privacy setting which hides personal details and information from members of the public. A spokesman for the organisation said that “just as you would tell a friend about your upcoming vacation plans but wouldn’t share your itinerary with a stranger, so you can – and should – use the same common sense on Facebook.”
An alternate course of action that could be taken by insurers is a 10% price increase on insurance premiums. This would cover the rising cost of covering insurance claims from burglaries precipitated by social networking users posting their holiday plans online.
Approximately £4.8 billion was paid out in insurance claims in 2008. On average, 1 in 10 households made a claim.
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