What You Need to Know:
- Unum actively monitors social media and online activity as part of its disability claims investigations.
- Even innocent or out-of-context posts can be used to challenge the severity and credibility of your disability.
- Online surveillance can lead to unjust denials or terminations of benefits, especially when insurers are looking for inconsistencies.
- Dabdoub Law Firm has successfully fought back against Unum’s surveillance tactics to win long-term disability benefits for clients nationwide.
Social Media Can Be a Hidden Threat to Your Disability Claim
In the digital era, it’s second nature to post updates, share life moments, or stay connected with friends and family on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. For someone dealing with a debilitating injury or illness, social media can feel like a much-needed outlet or a way to maintain normalcy.
But while you’re sharing snippets of your best moments online, Unum may be watching.
Disability insurance companies—especially Unum—routinely monitor claimants’ digital footprints. These companies are not just evaluating your medical records; they’re looking for anything that could give them reason to question your disability status. While social media posts do not always represent reality, unfortunately, what you post online can be twisted to fit a narrative that hurts your claim.
How Unum Uses Social Media and Internet Searches
Unum has developed a reputation for using aggressive surveillance tactics, including scouring social media profiles, business websites, and other public online content to dispute long-term disability claims. This is not speculative, it's a standard part of their claims review and investigation process.
Tactics Unum Commonly Uses:
- Reviewing social media posts to assess your physical capabilities or social activity.
- Searching for business listings or websites tied to your name to argue you're working.
- Monitoring public interactions or tagged photos that suggest travel, exercise, or work-like activity.
- Saving screenshots and collecting “evidence” to use against you during appeals or litigation.
Their goal is clear: find a “gotcha” moment—no matter how out of context—to justify denying or terminating your benefits.
Innocent Posts Can Be Misconstrued
Unum may interpret a single photo or video as proof that you’re not as disabled as you claim. But this logic is flawed.
Consider the following examples:
- A post about attending a wedding or birthday party might be used to suggest you’re socially active and mobile.
- A vacation photo could be framed as proof of stamina and physical ability, even if it was a short trip where you mostly rested.
- Sharing a workout from years ago or a memory post could be misread as a current activity.
- Being tagged in a group, whether you attended or not, can still raise questions.
This type of online surveillance disregards the fluctuating nature of many disabling conditions. Chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, and mental health issues often involve good days and bad days. Social media rarely shows the latter.
How to Protect Your Disability Claim Online
While you can’t control what Unum may choose to look for, you can control what you share online. Whether you're applying for benefits, currently receiving them, or in the middle of an appeal or lawsuit, strategic online behavior is critical.
Smart Steps to Safeguard Your Claim:
- Tighten Your Privacy Settings: Set all social media accounts to private. This won’t stop all surveillance, but it helps restrict access.
- Think Before You Post: Avoid posting anything that could be interpreted as inconsistent with your disability—no matter how harmless it seems.
- Avoid Sharing Physical Activities or Travel: Even brief outings or family gatherings may be viewed as signs of full functionality.
- Monitor Tags and Mentions: Ask friends and family not to tag you in posts or upload images that might conflict with your claimed limitations.
- Be Aware of Broader Internet Presence: Business profiles, Google reviews, and community group mentions can all be used in Unum’s investigations.
- Remember - Surveillance Isn't Just Online: Unum also uses in-person surveillance, including private investigators, to observe and record your daily activities.
When Social Media Is Used to Deny Your Claim
If Unum has denied or terminated your long-term disability benefits citing social media activity, don’t panic—but don’t wait either. These cases often require swift, strategic action.
At Dabdoub Law Firm, we’ve handled countless claims where disability benefits were denied based on alleged inconsistencies found online. We know how to:
- Put social media content in the proper context.
- Demonstrate the fluctuating nature of many medical conditions.
- Work with treating doctors and vocational experts to reinforce your true limitations.
- Appeal denials and litigate when necessary, fighting back with clear and compelling evidence.
Why Dabdoub Law Firm Is the Right Choice for Your Case
We are not a general law firm—we focus exclusively on disability insurance law, including ERISA and private disability policies. That means every member of our legal team understands the tactics insurers like Unum use—and how to beat them.
Here's What Sets Us Apart:
- 100% Focus on Disability Insurance: We don't split our time across multiple practice areas.
- National Representation: We handle claims across the country. ERISA is federal law—we don’t need to be local to help.
- Proven Litigation Success: We’ve won cases in federal court and secured millions of dollars in benefits for our clients.
- In-Depth Knowledge of Unum: We’ve taken on Unum time and again—and we know how to challenge their surveillance practices.
Contact Dabdoub Law Firm to speak with a disability insurance attorney today. We’ll review your case, explain your legal options, and help you fight back—because your health, your livelihood, and your dignity are worth defending.