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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

5. Greater Emphasis on Information Sharing and Fraud Prevention

Communication channels in the insurance industry. Research Gate

State insurance commissions and industry associations also began to encourage cooperation between insurers. Information sharing protocols and fraud prevention partnerships were established, paving the way for the digital, interconnected systems used today. Centralized policy tracking became one of the most powerful tools in modern insurance fraud detection.

The reforms not only protect insurers from financial loss, but also safeguard individuals from being unknowingly turned into targets for profit, as Malloy tragically was. The ease with which the conspirators tried to collect on Malloy’s death showed how uncritical claim review processes could be. Insurers became more diligent in investigating unusual deaths or high-risk claims, especially those with anonymous or unrelated beneficiaries.

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.