Insurers are scanning social media for Spring Break antics
American students are being urged to be careful about what they reveal of their upcoming Spring Break parties on social media lest lurid revelations push up the price of their insurance premiums. The Consumer Advocacy Center (CAC) warns that insurers are increasingly using sites like Facebook and Instagram to build up a behavioural picture of prospective customers in order to gauge their eligibility and risk profile when they come to buy insurance products. “If it is something that you’ve posted that’s available to the public then they can look at it," said the CAC's Lance Raphael.
DENVER -- Students across the country are getting ready for Spring Break fun, but a spying eye could cost you big time.

College students are constantly posting to social media, and insurance investigators are judging their activity while on Spring Break and analyzing their risks based on social media pictures.

“I’ve always had a public [Instagram account], I’ve never set it to private,” said University of Denver senior Jessica Merheb, who is counting down the days until she goes to Cabo.

Lance Raphael works with the Consumer Advocacy Center and told Denver7 companies are taking those public snapshots of you creating a portrait of your life in order to assess potential eligibility for customers wanting to buy insurance in the near future.

“If it is something that you’ve posted that’s available to the public then they can look at it,” said Raphael.

Spring Break is naturally a little risky whether you’re hitting the slopes, parasailing, or scuba diving.

“There’s a pretty constant feed coming in from everyone depending on where they are, whether they're out skiing or throwing it down in Mexico,” said DU student Avery Cederstrand.

He and his fraternity brother, Henry Wurst, make sure their accounts are locked down.

“Insurance is very important, and I think the point that they are looking at that kind of shocks me. It’s a whole new idea to me,” said Wurst.

Experts like Raphael recommend making sure privacy settings on your social media accounts are set to the maximum privacy so no one other than a friend or relative can see what you post.

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