What You Should Know

• Insurance revenge is when an individual gets back at his or her spouse using shared insurance policies during separation and divorce
• Insurance revenge is punishable by law, but it can be a headache to resolve in the short-term
• Insurance revenge can cause financial loss, property damage, extremely bad credit scores, and even physical harm

When couples are pursuing divorce, it can often be a time of difficult encounters and emotions. Occasionally, people who are getting divorced can do unpredictable and irrational things, like fighting over children, money, and assets.

One common way spouses get revenge on one another is by violating the terms of their shared insurance policies. This act — which is known as insurance revenge — is illegal and can be very harmful to couples and their children.

What is insurance revenge?

Insurance revenge occurs when one spouse accesses the other spouse's insurance policies or their shared policies — like life insurance and car insurance, among others — and makes changes to inflict damage. This can cause financial loss, property damage, extremely bad credit scores, and even physical harm.

Insurance revenge may not sound all that bad, but it can be devastating. Because insurance revenge can cause so much damage, many U.S. states have put laws in place to punish anyone who uses this as a means to get back at their ex-spouse.

Can insurance revenge happen with all types of insurance?

Insurance revenge is possible with virtually any type of insurance. With home insurance, people can use insurance revenge to file fake claims — even after creating real damage to the home or property — in order for their spouse to have to foot the bill and potentially get in hot water over insurance fraud.

Insurance revenge with car insurance can be just as devastating. If one spouse's name is still on the vehicle's title or somehow tied to the insurance policy, that individual can have coverage dropped, so the person driving the car ends up driving uninsured and getting in a lot of trouble.

This same trend is true for health insurance, life insurance policies, renters insurance, and much more. Insurance revenge is possible in virtually every insurance context, which is why it's so important to stay alert and protect yourself.

How can I avoid insurance revenge?

If you are separated or going through a divorce, there are a few things you can do to make sure you don't end up the victim of an insurance revenge plot.

• Inform any insurance companies about your separation or divorce
• Write anything involving shared insurance into the divorce decree
• Change locks and security codes on your property to avoid home insurance revenge
• Get copies of your credit report
• Keep financial records in a safe and secure location
• Remove the other individual from your group life and health insurance policies as soon as possible
• Speak to your attorney about how to handle any life insurance policies you are currently the beneficiary of

It's never fun to think about a divorce, and insurance revenge is a topic that most people don't like to talk about. But you need to make sure you're protected from insurance revenge so you will never have to experience the devastation this could have on your future.

If you are separated or divorced and are searching for insurance, be sure to use our free quote tool below to find and compare rates from top companies in your area.