How can you find out if someone's taken out life insurance on you without

[no_hypocrisy]

your knowledge?

I have a friend who inadvertently got a call from an insurance company who said his life insurance policy was ready. For the tune of over $1 million. Except for the fact he didn't buy the policy. His wife did.

Innocuous? Maybe. Except my friend's been unusually sick when he's been normally very healthy (heart palpitations), his marriage is cold, and he just inherited a bunch of money from his mother.

He asked his wife, who initially denied it, but then admitted it.

But can an insurance company provide you with acknowledgement of the policy? I don't think they are allowed to give you a copy even though it's in your name.

[candy]

1. I always wondered that myself-looking forward to the replies.

[brainshrub]

2. I think Wal-Mart did something like that.

It was with the employees knowledge. (The families wouldn't benefit, the company did 'tho.)

Your friend better leave his wife while he still can.

[redqueen]

3. I don't know but that guy needs to get a physical, NOW!

Please do urge him to do so, and tell him to tell his doctor about every single thing that's causing him even minor discomfort... you never know...

[miss_kitty]

4. two suggestions

your friend should go to a doctor and maybe call the cops. just to be on the safe side.

I think the insured is supposed to sign something; I'm sure forgery is easy enough.

Check out 'Double Indemnity' w/ B Stanwick and F Macmurray. sounds like that.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

5. Good question

Haven't there been cases of companies taking out policies on their employees? As a personal recollection, my mom tried to take out a very large term life policy on me about 30 years ago, paying the premium and naming herself as beneficiary, natch. She explained it as good for the future when I got married and had children, want to protect the kiddies, blah, blah, blah. Told her that if and when that happened, my spouse and I would decide for ourselves about insurance, thank you very much. The insurance company required a nominal physical exam for the policy to take affect, nothing involved, just to know you're still breathing, so that put the kibosh on her plan. The whole situation made me very nervous.

[HeyManThatsCool]

9. WalMart was the company

Whoever posted that was right.
They took out life insurance policies on their employees
that would pay out to Wal Mart..... NOT the insureds family

[TheCentepedeShoes]

11. Your right !

I'd heard that. Was it on the average "associate" or just managers and higher ups? Either way, that's creepy !

[AlCzervik]

6. If it is a person that he thinks may have life insurance

generally requires the insured to have a physical by the insurance company approved Doctor. As far as a company taking one out on him, i don't know the protocol on that.

[HeyManThatsCool]

8. Shit!

Your friend better GET THE HELL OUT of that marriage.
At the very least I think he should love in with a friend (maybe you?) for a while. He needs not to eat or drink anything shes fixed for sure.

WHoever posted the Double Indemnity movie idea has got it right on.


And i know that thru the years I have seen many a "Lifetime" movie about this very issue.... tho normally it is the husband who gets the insurance for the wife without her knowledge

[goodbody]

7. Most want a physical done before a policy is issued

they'll even come to your house to perform that, at least some of them do.

Unless there are very recent medical records, I doubt someone can get this type of insurance easily. They don't want to actually ever have to pay the policy, so they want you to be healthy. I know of a young, very healthy couple who got policies on each other, and they both had to submit to physicals and other formalities.

[papau]

10. Insurable Interest is the only requirement - so the wife is deemed to have

such interest and can take a policy out without the husband "knowing" - sort of. Insurable interest is required only at the time of the initial issuing of the policy - often when the benefit is paid there is zero relationship between the dead and the bene.

I've never heard of a million dollar policy going out the door with out some sort of medical/financial/morals underwriting. So it would be a good guess that the wife signed for him on a non-med questionaire and signed for him on all the info release forms. Last time I looked that was fraud. :-)


As for the janitor insurance with the company as the bene, different states have different rulings, but where allowed they say the company need not notify the insured - as the game is a tax play without reference to or need for the insured to die - the company makes money on the tax play even if he lives. In NY most companies do notify the insured - and indeed get your permission (I suspect there may be a NY state regulation that requires this but I do not really know for certain)

[Maple]

12. Well the other person

would be paying the premiums, so that wouldn't harm anyone.

So unless you think they're likely to do him in...

[no_hypocrisy]

13. Thanks everybody. Good input. But one last question:

the original one - how do you find out? You contact the insurance company and since it's in your name, then can the company give you any information, like confirming the existence of such a policy, or better, can you be given a copy of YOUR life insurance policy?

If yes, then what restrictions can one expect?

[papau]

14. On janitor insurance you company financials will say if that is an

investment of the company,

But in general with 1600 companies selling life insurance, the only source is the companies own source called the MIB - medical information bureau - which requests member notify re new issued policies.

And you can not get MIB info under current law - only the companies can.

And MIB info would not include janitor insurance investments.

[July]

15. Couldn't he just tell the insurance company he suspects fraud?

Or worse? If the wife signed in his name, that's fraud. If she's got "plans" for him, the policy is a sign of it, or even proof of it should the worst happen. Why not just tell the insurers the truth about his suspicions? If it's his policy, they should be able to tell him about it, and if there's potential fraud, they'll be all over it.

Meanwhile, he should get out of Dodge.