Life insurance scams?

Question

hello - i am writing a screenplay and a small portion of the movie is about a guy getting killed because of his life insurance. i need to set the period in a time where life ins. was sort of a new thing to do. so during which era, 60's, 70's, 80's, were people just getting into the life insurance

Answer 1

Life insurance supposed started about 5,000 BC in China.  It started in America ~1760-1770.  Here is a history.

Answer 2

I would right the book using today's settings.  It's perfect as we've seen the life settlement market with people purchasing old life policies from original owners so they get the death benefit.  A corrupt group gets purchasing these policies and suddenly some of the individuals who were insured start mysteriously passing away.  

If that doesn't work for you you would have to go back to around 1774 when the British Parliament established the rules of insurable interest.  Prior to that it was a gambling option. Insurable interest determines who has the right to purchase life insurance whether on themselves or on someone else.

The time setting needed would be determined by the what the script and reason for why the guy was killed.

Answer 3

Life insurance has been around in many forms for hundreds of years.  Murdering as a way to get rich off a life insurance policy is a fairly new scam in the last couple hundred years.  An excellent article from 1895 can be found here:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-fre...

The case above is described nearly exactly as your screenplay is designed.  Feel free to email me if i can help more!.

Barrett Bartels

https://www.affordableamericaninsurance....

Answer 4

New, no.  Current, yes.  In Los Angeles, they recently tried two women who they say conspired to insure and kill two men (with a third who escaped) by running them over.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/1...

Answer 5

(LOL!)  You'll have to go a lot further back than that to reach the time when life insurance was a "new thing."

Answer 6

Either the insurance company needs to think there is no reason to suspect foul play, or they think someone else besides the beneficiary killed the insured.  If you need to hire a technical adviser, let me know;)

edit: For a modern twist, try an offshore financing company purchasing a policy on someone and having them offed in a round about way.