Not since the first time someone picked up a video camera to document malingering by a workers' compensation claimant has technology given us such a powerful tool to combat fraud as social networking. Video surveillance—along with traditional investigative techniques—are still effective in catching cheats, but social networking adds a new tool to the investigator's arsenal that can effectively and efficiently detect fraud and reduce claims costs.

Workers' compensation investigators are increasingly scouring networking sites to help insurers and employers resist paying bogus claims. And it is just not Facebook, Twitter and YouTube anymore, but a bevy of new sites that include photo-sharing and new entrants such as Google-plus. The technology continues to evolve and expand, in many ways making it easier for investigators to positively identify claimants and determine whether their online lives jive with the claims they have filed. The number of claims files closed thanks to online detective work continue to pile up. Consider:

• A Los Angeles-area warehouse worker who claimed his back was too injured to work bragged about bowling a 300 game on his Facebook page
• A judo instructor filed for total and permanent injury, then posted the dates he was available for class instruction.
• A bronco-riding champion filed a claim and soon after invited his online buddies to attend his upcoming competition.

If you play in a rock band—and still have to keep a day job—it is probably not a good idea to file a bogus claim because bands need to aggressively advertise their venues to build their fan base. Spreading the word online is the mother's milk of music promotion. All an investigator needs to do is show up at the bar or concert, take some video of the performance and, for good measure, stick around after the show and record the claimant hauling out band gear. The claim likely will have a shelf life shorter than some one-hit wonder.

Tracking Down the Dollars