What information do I have to provide an insurance agent investigating my car insurance claim?

Insurance Question from Ruston, WA

Asked on 01/10/2012

What information do I have to provide an insurance agent investigating my car insurance claim? My car was stolen and totaled. The company I have car insurance through now is having a special investigation agent on the case and they would like a lot information including our phone records for the month of the incident and we were just wondering if all this is necessary.

Answer given on January 10, 2012

There is a clause in most insurance policies under the section “Your Obligation” or it may be entitled, “When You Have a Claim” that states that you have an obligation to cooperate with the insurance company during the investigation of a claim. Perhaps they are doing normal checking when there is a theft of a vehicle to make sure there was no involvement by the policy holder.  You can refuse to turn over your phone records but this may be viewed by the insurance company as not cooperating. Have you asked the insurance company why they need phone records? Is there something in the timeline of the car being stolen that they are checking out?  If you feel you should talk to an attorney before turning over the phone records, do not hesitate to get advice.        

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