← Back to the front page

The Man Who Wouldn’t Die – The Bizarre Depression Era Crime That Shaped How Our Insurance Works

Khalid Elhassan June 2, 2025 17 min

A young Michael Malloy, left, and his killers. I09

12. Stricter Identity Verification

The ease with which the conspirators manipulated the system triggered public outrage, and led to significant insurance sector reforms. In the case’s aftermath, insurers adopted stricter identity verification measures to prevent similar frauds. One of the first changes was more rigorous documentation requirements.

Applicants were now typically required to present multiple valid identifications, such as birth certificates, government-issued IDs, or affidavits confirming identity and relationships to beneficiaries. Insurers also implemented mandatory in-person interviews to verify identity and intent, making it harder to file fraudulent applications using fabricated personas.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.