Insurance Companies

The role of an insurance OSINT investigator at Elusive Consulting revolves around the gathering and analysis of publicly available information to support the insurer’s investigation and assess the validity of injury claims. This includes monitoring social media, conducting background checks, utilizing data aggregation tools, and analyzing online behavior to uncover inconsistencies or fraud. These OSINT efforts help the insurance company make more informed decisions, challenge questionable claims, and reduce the risk of fraud.

Social Media Monitoring

Tracking Social Media Activity

Insurance OSINT personnel often monitor social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) to track the activities, behavior, and posts of claimants. They may look for any activity or posts that contradict the claimant’s statements regarding their injury or recovery process.

Tracking Personal Networks

Insurance investigators also look at the claimant's social circles—friends, family, and professional networks—to gather more context on the claimant's behavior, lifestyle, and activities.

Analyzing Photos and Videos

They analyze photos, videos, and status updates that might suggest a claimant is exaggerating or falsifying their injuries. For example, if a claimant posts a picture of themselves engaging in physical activities that contradict their claims of limited mobility, this could be used to challenge.

Background Investigations

Public Record Searches

Insurance OSINT personnel conduct searches on various public records and databases, such as property ownership records, criminal records, and business registrations, to learn more about the claimant's background and history.

Previous Claims and Litigation History

They may research whether the claimant has a history of filing multiple injury claims, participating in legal proceedings, or other relevant claims that may suggest fraudulent activity or a pattern of behavior that could undermine the credibility.

Investigating Online Forums and Blogs

Tracking Forums

Investigators may search forums, blogs, or discussion boards where the claimant may have participated in discussions, especially in niche forums related to health, disability recovery.

Examining Relevant Online Content

They might also monitor any content published on personal websites, health blogs, or injury-related forums to track claims that the claimant may have made about their injury or recovery.

Data Scraping and Aggregation

Using Data Aggregators

OSINT personnel often use specialized tools and platforms that aggregate information from various public sources. This can include information from databases, social media accounts, or even scraped content from websites.

Geo-location and Tracking

Some OSINT personnel use geo-location information to track where a claimant has been, either through metadata associated with photos or through check-ins, GPS data, or location-tagged posts on social media.

Surveillance (Digital and Physical)

Digital Surveillance

OSINT personnel may track the claimant’s digital footprint through their online activity, web searches, or even email addresses if publicly available. They will monitor digital communications to look for any information that could help dispute the claimant’s assertions.

Physical Surveillance

Though not always part of their core duties, insurance OSINT personnel may work with private investigators to coordinate physical surveillance, where investigators will observe and document the claimant’s activities in person, often for comparison with claims made regarding injury.

Fraud Detection and Risk Analysis

Identifying Patterns of Fraud

A key role of an OSINT investigator in the insurance context is to identify signs of potential fraud. This could involve recognizing inconsistencies between the claimant's personal or social media activities and their claims, such as contradicting statements, exaggeration of injuries.

Risk Assessment

They may also assess the overall risk level of a claim by compiling all the available data and using it to build a case that either supports or questions the validity of the claim. This helps the insurance company make a more informed decision regarding settlements or payouts.

Building Case Profiles

Case Development

Based on the collected data, OSINT personnel will build comprehensive profiles of claimants. These profiles include everything from the claimant's public digital activity to the context of the injury, prior claims, and financial background.

Intelligence Reports

Insurance OSINT teams will produce detailed reports based on the intelligence gathered from open sources. These reports are presented to the insurance company to assist in making final decisions on claims.

Collaboration with Other Departments

Coordination with Adjusters and Investigators

OSINT personnel often work alongside claims adjusters, private investigators, and legal teams to provide supplementary data that supports the investigation or defense of claims.

Legal and Compliance

They ensure that all data collection and investigative activities comply with privacy laws, regulations, and the ethical guidelines set by the insurance company. This may involve staying updated on relevant legislation.