Claims - September 2014

processes and chain of custody documentation. If conducting these investigations “in house,” invest in additional mobile-based platforms and training to assist the analyst. The data gathered and the investment in the technology is worthless unless the information can be used in court.

Not convinced? Let’s consider the fol-
lowing case study. Hurricane Sandy was
the deadliest and most destructive hurri-
cane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane sea-
son. It was the second costliest hurricane
in United States history. Insurers were
hit with significant claims exposure. One
company was contacted by a client that
noticed a significant number of Pennsyl-
vania insured vehicles that were flooded
along the New York and New Jersey
coastline during Sandy.

The carrier suspected that many of these flooded insured vehicles were not principally garaged in Pennsylvania as stated in their insurance policies. The carrier referred several cases to our firm for investigation.

One specific case involved a car that was flooded in the Ne w York city area, but was listed on the insurance policy as principally garaged at an address in Pennsylvania. Traditional online searches yielded limited information. However, when we switched the search to an android-based platform, we found an alternate moniker associated with the insured. This moniker was used to locate his Instagram account.

The Instagram site was filled with pictures, check-ins and geo-tagging information in New York. It was literally a road map to his activities for several months before and after the claim. It included a geo-tag of his “home” in New York. From there we identified and captured five videos from his You Tube channel. The insured, who had claimed to be a Pennsylvania resident, broadcast and posted real time storm damage of “his