Woman Gets In Car Accident. Then She Gets Friend Request—And Realizes Who It Is In Disguise: ‘U Never Know Who Watching’

If you get injured in a car accident, you might think that all you need to do is file a claim with your insurance. From there, you can recover using the money you received from the payout.

Unfortunately, this is simply not the case. Actually getting your insurance to pay for everything from your car’s repair to your medical bills is a nightmare and a half—and by the end, you might end up more tired from the fallout of the accident than the accident itself.

One of the reasons that this process can take a long time is that insurers want to be certain that you are being honest about the circumstances around your accident. This can include not only who was at fault, but just how bad the damages were as a result.

Sometimes, the measures that these workers can take are pretty extreme, as one woman on TikTok says she learned.

Should You Be Suspicious Of Friend Requests Post-Car Accident?

In a video with over 70,000 views, TikTok user @eliroadhelp makes a bold claim about what insurance companies may do after a car accident.

“Insurance companies and their investigators will actually send you a friend request on social media after an accident, just to get access to your private posts,” the TikToker starts.

The reason for this, she says, is that they are looking for “anything that suggests you’re not as hurt as you say.”

“Anything. Like, a photo of you smiling at dinner, a workout check-in—literally anything,” she says. “So, if you have a claim open, do not accept a friend request from anyone that you don't personally know. And, honestly, just go private on everything until it's resolved.”

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Is Her Claim About Investigators Following You On Social Media True?

As this TikToker’s page appears to be an advertisement for an auto settlement calculator website, it’s understandable to regard her claims with suspicion.

However, there are documented cases of this actually happening. In Robertelli v. New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics, lawyers defending a personal-injury lawsuit are alleged to have instructed a paralegal to monitor the injured plaintiff’s Facebook page. When he made his profile private, the paralegal allegedly sent him a friend request—without disclosing that she worked for the defense firm or that she was investigating him. 

That said, the American Bar Association (ABA) generally frowns on this behavior. Typically, ABA rules prohibit a lawyer from communicating about the dispute with someone who is known to have an attorney. Depending on the circumstances, this could apply to the sending of a Facebook friend request.

It should be noted that courts have determined social media posts can be used to determine post-accident activities and limitations, though this does not mean that the entire social media account is available to be used by investigators.

If one is reading this and thinking, “Great, I’ll just delete my social media after my accident,” that’s also a bad idea. If a claim or lawsuit is ongoing or foreseeable, deleting relevant social media posts could be seen as destruction of evidence.

So, should you be suspicious of any friend requests you receive after an accident? Even if the chances are small, probably yes.

‘They’ll Follow You Around Too’

In the comments section, users discussed the lengths they’ve seen or heard investigators go to prove fraud.

“No lies. I've seen them at a lady wedding. Caught her dancing and walking down stairs in heels,” revealed a user.

“Insurance agent - a few years back a client’s boyfriend was involved in an accident but was not listed on the policy. The carrier agreed to cover the claim only if the backdated adding him on to the inception of the policy and having her pay thousands of dollars to do so,” recalled another. “When we tried to tell them he was not a regular operator, they told us no, he was because she has several social media posts where he was driving the vehicle.”

“My mom t boned a guy that sped up when she thought she had more time. He tried suing but he also posted a pic of his truck on his FB saying he was playing chicken on the road. Sent screenshots to my moms insurance,” shared a third.

Motor1 reached out to @eliroadhelp via TikTok direct message and comment. We will update this story if she responds.