Many Connecticut residents use social media to post about every aspect of their lives, from what they have eaten for breakfast to the new car or house they have purchased. However, these minute-by-minute details are being viewed by not only friends and family members, but authorities as well. This is especially true in child support cases, in which parents will claim to not be able to afford monthly payments while bragging about their income on Facebook or Twitter.
District attorney’s offices are monitoring the social media sites of deadbeat parents. Through their photos, tweets and posts, law enforcement officials are able to determine if these parents really are unable to afford the monthly payment or if they are lying. Many parents will brag about their income or post photos of their new car but at the same time owe tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to the mother or father of their children.
Many parents have been punished by authorities after getting caught in their financial lies. These parents may face fines and jail time for failing to abide by their support agreement.
Child support enforcement is going high-tech, as this article shows. Parents who have been able to run from the law in the past must be careful with their online activity. If they do choose to use Facebook, Twitter or any other social media site, they should do so at their own risk. Nothing online is private. Anything they say or do can be used against them.
