Insurance hike for users of Facebook

It has been announced that higher insurance costs could be applied to those that use social networking sites such as Facebook on a regular basis, because insurance firms see these consumers as being higher risk due to the possibility of personal and sensitive details being viewed by others.

Insurance firms have said that often these social networking sites are being used by criminals to seek out personal details of people, and this means that the risk of claims is higher.

Officials from Legal & General have said that in some cases parents may see the cost of their insurance premiums rise as a result of their children using social networking sites.

The insurance industry states that these networking sites are used by people to post a range of personal details and even plans about where and when they plan to go on holiday, giving potential burglars a variety of information to make their work easier.

Reformed thief Michael Fraser, who is the star of the show Beat the Burglar, said: ‘There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that burglars are using social networks to identify likely targets. They gain confidence by learning more about them, what they are likely to own and when they are likely to be out of the house.’

He added: ‘I call it “internet shopping for burglars”. It is incredibly easy to use social networking sites to target people, and then scope out more information on their actual home using other internet sites like Google Street View, all from the comfort of the sofa.’

An official from a web security firm added: ‘It is staggering what people are putting on the web. Our research shows that 41% of people are divulging personal and private information to complete strangers on Facebook, such as their date of birth, where they worked, where they lived and what they were doing. People are boasting about how they are having a fantastic time on a beach in Mexico on a webpage that has their home address. Criminals who put together the jigsaw can use it for identity theft or burglary. It is just as dangerous as leaving your windows or doors open at home.’

Tags: facebook, gain confidence, Insurance hike, burlaries, doubt in my mind, Criminals, home insurance, facebook insurance