Guide
Insurance Company Tactics to Watch For
Insurance adjusters are trained. You aren't. That's not a moral failing — it's just the setup. They spend forty hours a week handling claims exactly like yours; you're doing it for the first time, in pain, and probably out of work.
Here are the plays they run. None of them are illegal. All of them are designed to shrink what you get.
Tactic 1: The friendly first call
Within a day or two of the incident, an adjuster calls sounding warm and concerned. They just want to make sure you're okay, get a few basic details, and "help move the process along." This is the recorded statement setup.
You do not have to give one. To the other driver's insurer, you should not. Anything you say — including a reflexive "I'm doing okay, thanks for asking" — becomes part of the file and comes back at settlement time.
Tactic 2: The quick lowball offer
A check for $2,000 or $5,000 shows up early, with a release attached. The number feels reasonable compared to the bills you have this week. It's not reasonable compared to the bills you'll have next year.
Signing that release ends the claim forever. If you find out in month four that you need surgery, you're paying for it yourself. Never sign a release without an attorney reviewing it.
Tactic 3: "We'll take care of your bills"
An adjuster tells you not to worry, they'll cover treatment. What they mean: they'll pay some bills, up to some limit they never quite name, and count every dollar against the eventual settlement — often at inflated "list" prices instead of the negotiated rates a personal-injury attorney would extract.
You'll typically recover more by using your own health insurance, letting your attorney negotiate the liens down at the end, and treating the at-fault insurer as an adversary, not a helper.
Tactic 4: Delay
Time is on their side. Every month you go without a paycheck, the pressure to accept a lower number grows. Adjusters know this. They will ask for the same records twice, misplace forms, and go on vacation without a covering adjuster.
The counter is a clear timeline with consequences. An attorney can put the file into litigation posture — filing suit isn't the same as going to trial, but it removes the leverage of infinite delay.
Tactic 5: Social media surveillance
Assume every public post, photo, and check-in is being screenshotted. A gym selfie, a hiking photo from before your accident with no date on it, a beach vacation with your kids — all of it gets pulled into the file to argue you're not really hurt.
The safest rule during an active claim: lock down your privacy settings, and don't post anything about your health, activities, or the incident itself. Not even indirectly.
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