It’s well documented that the effects of cyber bullying can take their toll emotionally, but what about financially?
Extreme forms of online trolling such as swatting, where a harasser fakes an emergency to get police to raid a victim’s home, can be extremely disruptive to the victim.
Chubb Insurance is now offering some UK customers benefits to offset the costs of trolling in what is believed to be an industry first.
While some providers will cover the cost of launching or defending a cyberbullying lawsuit, Chubb’s policy focuses on the wellbeing of the adult or child on the receiving end of the online abuse.
The company will include cyberbullying coverage as part of its personal insurance package, providing up to 50,000 pounds (NZ$113,000) which can go towards help from online experts for victims and counselling, or even covering lost income if the victim is off work for more than a week due to the harassment.
For particularly serious cases, there’s even the option to being in a team to repair a tarnished online reputation, and employ a forensics squad to track down anonymous trolls and bring them to justice.
“We see insurance as helping our clients get back to how they were before the incident occurred – whether it’s an incident that affects their home or as a person,” Chubb’s UK and Ireland private clients manager, Tara Parchment, told
The Telegraph.
“So we still help to restore homes, cars and belongings that have suffered physical harm or damage, but increasingly it’s about the person and how they cope.”
Chubb’s previous novel insurance policies include the first cover against losses caused by air rage incidents and a policy that protects against identity theft.
The company defines cyberbullying as ‘three or more acts by the same person or group to harass, threaten or intimidate a customer’.
