# How does Gieco/Personal Insurance find out?



## salpal (Jan 8, 2015)

Plain and simple, how do these companies find out that you're driving for Uber?
What is Uber doing that it raises a red flag on the Insurers side?

What information is being exchanged?


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## Simon (Jan 4, 2015)

Following


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## cherrys (Jan 1, 2015)

Great question, I want to know the answer too.


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## Walkersm (Apr 15, 2014)

Many Ways.

Usually only after an accident but they have a divisions that look to get them out of paying claims. So they will look at someone social media sites. Maybe do a credit check to see any abnormal creditors that maybe used for a business. 

High mileage - They can determine either though self reporting or SMOG or Vehicle inspection records how many miles you drive. If that does not match up with what you claimed for yearly mileage when you signed up they will adjust the rate or investigate why it is high.

Demographics - If you are a married person and you get into an accident at 2 in the morning in a popular night life area and your wife is not in the car. That is going to raise some red flags. What were you doing out there? Prove it. Same thing for any accident that occurs at an airport or train station they are going to ask what you were doing there. 

And at least in Colorado now there is a law that if an insurance company suspects a driver of TNC activity they can ask for the information on that driver from the TNC and they must provide it without a court order. 

People reporting you - Many cab drivers are compiling lists of plates and submitting to insurance companies. 

Mandatory accident reporting - if you get in an accident and the TNC takes care of all the payouts your insurance will get a report of the accident and wonder why they were never contacted about it. They maybe happy that they did not have to pay out any funds but they will wonder why and do some investigating to see what exactly happened.


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## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

@Walkersm points to the new intelligence that companies create

Passive Data, Demographic Data, Active Data collection.

Its the active collection that will ramp up now. Employees given burner accounts and will ping cars, take a screen shot of the driver /car details dispatched, save info, cancel job, move pin then repeat.

Exactly what UBER did in its recruitment/disruption campaign against Lyft last year when it funded its employees to order Lyft cars and cancel just to waste their time or ride with them and try and recruit them to UBER.

All the sneaky low tactics that UBER has used to grow to where they are now will be used against them.

"You shall reap what you sow".


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## salpal (Jan 8, 2015)

I actually did some research and asked UBER themselves....

Besides what you have mentioned Sydney... Uber also does get in contact with your Personal Insurance company to ask for a copy...

This is probably the FIRST red flag.


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## SFAgentKyle (Mar 16, 2016)

Information is readily available through consumer reports ordered by insurance companies.


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## phillipzx3 (May 26, 2015)

cherrys said:


> Great question, I want to know the answer too.


We take photos of your car with the Uber/Lyft sticker and send the to the State insurance regulators.

Oregon State law says you have to have Commercial Insurance if you're using your car for livery service.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, you must register a vehicle that is used for TNC work there. If he vehicle bears Virginia licence plates, the Commonwealth sends the registered owner black and yellow validation stickers for his licence plates. If the vehicle bears out of state licence plates, it sends a black and yellow TNC sticker to the owner to display on his vehicle. In order to obtain the stickers, you must submit certain information to the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth posts that information to a database that is accessible to all admitted insurers in the Commonwealth of Virginia.


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## MattyMikey (Aug 19, 2015)

salpal said:


> I actually did some research and asked UBER themselves....
> 
> Besides what you have mentioned Sydney... Uber also does get in contact with your Personal Insurance company to ask for a copy...
> 
> This is probably the FIRST red flag.


Insurance Companies do not and (and cannot) provide a copy of your insurance policy without your consent unless to law enforcement. They will not provide this copy to Uber. Wherever you heard this is jerking your chain. This is considered NPI and would get company in trouble legally and with the State Department of Insurance.

If Uber contacts them they can VERIFY the policy is active if they provide the insurance company the information.

However, with that being said, you cannot hide info from insurance companies. Trust me when I say my main job is working with data from one of the top 5 insurance companies that you would be amazed.

LexisNexis (formerly Choicepoint) has databases of data of every source you can imagine. Insurance companies can opt in to purchase whatever they want.

Did you know that there is a license plate camera at border of Tijuana to see images of all vehicles entering Mexico? That database is available for insurance companies. Why? People think they can drive their own cars to Mexico, sale it, then claim it was stolen. Then they get popped.

Once a big insurance company gets burnt a couple times they work hard (and spend money by raising your premiums) to fight insurance fraud. Of course with ultimate goal to control costs to remain competitive so they can maintain or lower premiums.

The risk is not worth the reward. Try to find hybrid insurance or at minimum do not hide it from your insurance company. Many that do not cover it will not drop your insurance but will make it clear if there is a claim they are not paying it.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

MattyMikey said:


> Did you know that there is a license plate camera at border of Tijuana to see images of all vehicles entering Mexico? That database is available for insurance companies. Why? People think they can drive their own cars to Mexico, sale it, then claim it was stolen. Then they get popped.


Yep, I know this to be true. My son was investigating a reported stolen vehicle case several years ago, as a detective with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. Turned out the guy took the car across the border himself and ditched it because he couldn't make the lease payments, and then reported it stolen. I don't remember if he got prison time for insurance fraud, but for sure he took a bigger hit than he would have for having a car repossessed.


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