# Scam?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scam/689520>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 29, 2014, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scam/689520 "2014-05-29T01:05:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scam/689520/21 "2014-05-30T07:04:46Z")

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Yes it was strange. It was from a policy that a past business employee had taken out quite a few years ago. They (Cigna) had been searching for me for years apparently. I can’t figure out why they were able to find me now, and not at previous addresses.

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**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scam/689520/22 "2014-05-30T08:52:03Z")

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> [@White SIFL](#):
>
> Yes it was strange. It was from a policy that a past business employee had taken out quite a few years ago. They (Cigna) had been searching for me for years apparently. I can’t figure out why they were able to find me now, and not at previous addresses.

So your employees name you as the beneficiary on their life insurance policies? You must be a really wonderful boss!

Or was this [dead peasants’ insurance](http://deadpeasantinsurance.com/)?

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**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scam/689520/23 "2014-05-30T11:06:35Z")

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> [@White SIFL](#):
>
> Yes it was strange. It was from a policy that a past business employee had taken out quite a few years ago. They (Cigna) had been searching for me for years apparently. I can’t figure out why they were able to find me now, and not at previous addresses.

It seems to be a common claim that “we couldn’t find you” which in many cases means they didn’t actually look very hard. If you really want to find someone today, with the resources of the Internet, it’s nearly impossible NOT to.

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**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scam/689520/24 "2014-05-30T17:19:15Z")

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It doesn’t really benefit the insurer to not find the beneficiary, since the proceeds escheat to the state. I guess it saves them on investigative costs.

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**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scam/689520/25 "2014-05-31T02:29:03Z")

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> [@Alley\_Dweller](#):
>
> So your employees name you as the beneficiary on their life insurance policies? You must be a really wonderful boss!

It’s true. 😃

Actually she was more of a personal secretary. Apparently she had a bad relationship with her ex and didn’t trust her daughters. I will use most of the funds to set up college funds for her girls.

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