In the fast-paced world of claims investigation, having information is not the challenge—knowing how to turn that information into a confident decision is. Insurance carriers, adjusters, and Special Investigation Units (SIUs) are inundated with reports, statements, and digital footprints. The key is separating what’s merely interesting from what’s truly actionable. That’s where medical canvassing and social media canvassing can help. When done right, these investigative tools go beyond simply collecting data—they provide strategic, case-specific intelligence that can directly influence the direction of a claim. Medical Canvassing: Beyond the Basics Medical canvassing involves contacting medical facilities within a specified radius to…
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Insurance fraud takes many forms and each poses unique challenges for claims professionals. But all forms of fraud have the potential to inflate costs, delay resolutions, and undermine the integrity of the claims process. Spotting red flags of fraud early is critical to saving your team time and expenses. That’s where canvassing comes in. By leveraging medical and social canvassing, adjusters and investigators gain deeper visibility into claimants’ treatment histories, activities, and potential misrepresentations. At INTERTEL, we’ve spent decades refining medical and social canvassing strategies that uncover the truth, empowering carriers to distinguish between legitimate claims and exaggerated or fabricated…
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Medical canvassing is a powerful tool used by insurance carriers, TPAs, and legal professionals to verify medical treatment histories and uncover undisclosed information. Yet, due to a few persistent misconceptions, many organizations skip this critical part of the discovery and record retrieval process — and risk missing vital information as a result. It's time to put those misconceptions to rest. Let’s debunk the top five myths about medical canvassing. MYTH #1: Medical Canvassing is Illegal This is one of the most common myths. But professional medical canvassing is 100% legal when conducted properly. It involves contacting medical providers within a…
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In today’s digitally connected world, almost everyone leaves behind a trail of online activity—photos, posts, check-ins, comments, and public profiles. Social canvassing leverages this public digital footprint to support claims investigations. Insurance companies conduct claims investigations to evaluate the legitimacy of a claim. But what exactly is social canvassing, and how does it work? Understanding Social Canvassing Social canvassing is the practice of reviewing publicly available online information to gain insights relevant to an insurance claim or legal matter. Investigators search open-source platforms—such as social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), forums, blogs, and other digital channels—to find information that may support…
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When we think about gathering evidence, the first things that come to mind are often of a physical nature. But the internet and the activity that takes place there can serve as a virtual treasure trove of information. According to a recent report (1), adult internet users spend an average of 6 hours and 38 minutes online every day, with 2.5 hours of that time being spent on social media (2). Social media is particularly valuable for fraud and claims investigations because it serves as a window into the life of your subject, both before and after an incident occurs.…
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Social canvassing – the process of searching, capturing and preserving digital evidence from social media channels and other online sources – can be an extremely valuable tool for fraud investigators. Although social canvassing can be used in most fraud investigations, it can be particularly useful in workers’ compensation cases. With that in mind, let’s take look at some of the ways social canvassing can be leveraged in a workers’ compensation case. Confirm activity levels Social media posts can be used to confirm a claimant’s activity level after an alleged injury. Perhaps the claimant is posting themselves performing activities that…
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Originally compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, case backlogs and pent-up cases have only continued to grow as court systems face challenges such as lawyer shortages, judicial vacancies and inadequate funding. In fact, 79% of judges and court professionals reported that they are experiencing delays in their hearings and there’s been a 72% increase in pending cases over the last decade. To complicate matters even further, 2024 saw the launch and growth of companies that utilize AI to generate documents such as demand letters at higher volume than previously possible. Firms will need to scale up their operations in order to…
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Social canvassing is the process of searching, capturing and preserving digital evidence from social media channels and other online sources. Information gathered during a social canvass can be used to establish previously unknown connections between claimants, validate claims, find alternative sources of income, confirm activity levels after an alleged injury and more. When we think about canvassing social media channels and other websites, the first ones that come to mind are probably Instagram, Facebook and X. And while these channels can certainly be full of useful information, they aren’t the only sources that should be considered during a social…
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Our Social Canvassing services have long provided investigators with vital information from social media accounts and other internet accounts and related metadata. Recently, we added Social e-Profiler to our robust selection of offerings in order to save you time and money on your canvassing requests. Here’s a quick overview of Social e-Profiler and how it works in concert with our Social Canvassing services. Social e-Profiler begins when you submit a search request based on a person’s full name, date of birth (or approximate age range), and at least one of the following: email address, username, phone number or zip code.…
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We’re introducing a new and improved request form for our medical and social canvassing services. Based on feedback from our customers, this intuitive new form makes it easier than ever to quickly request the services you need. Here’s an overview of what you can expect in the ordering process: 1. Medical Canvassing First, choose between our QuickTEL Canvass Express Bundle or Canvass By Location Type offerings. With the QuickTEL Canvass Express Bundle, you will receive medical checks at 20 facilities (10 hospitals and 10 pharmacies) in a 70-mile radius of the address you provide within 48 hours. Our Canvass By…
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