How do I find out about getting life insurance money that was left to me but I don't know the ins carrier?

Question

My aunt passed away and left me life insurance money. I know that my family will not give me the information becuz they have already spent my money. What do I do to find out about the money that has been paid out within the last 2 months to me, but I did not receive it.

Answer 1

Life insurance proceeds do not go through probate so checking with the probate court would be a waste of time.

If you are a minor whoever your aunt appointed as trustee (which she would have had to do to name a minor as beneficiary) would have collected the funds on your behalf and they are then responsible for spending that money only on your maintenance, investing the funds wisely and then giving any remaining balance to you as soon as you come of age. If your trustee misappropriates your money, they will have to answer to the courts and you can approach the court for assistance (you will need to consult an attorney for this). If your aunt did not name a trustee, then the insurance company would not make a payment (depending on the amount and state law--i.e. some states allow payments of small amounts without appointing a trustee) unless the courts appoint a trustee.

If you are an adult there are a few possible scenarios. First of all it is possible that your aunt did not leave you as beneficiary (even if she had done so originally she could have changed the beneficiary at any time prior to her death)--in my opinion this is the most likely scenario. If you were named as beneficiary and you believe your family committed identity fraud by applying for and receiving the proceeds, you have a couple of options. One option would be going directly to the police with your suspicions (however I would be very careful with this unless you are sure since you risk alienating your family). The second option would be researching through the insurance carrier which you might be able to find through the Medical Information Bureau (MIB). It costs money to find out the information through the Bureau and they will only provide you with the information if you are the Executor of your Aunt's estate. In addition they only have records going back 11 years showing that she applied for insurance through xyz company and amount applied for--you would still then have to follow up with each company and determine if a policy was issued and if it was in force when she died and if you are the beneficiary. The website for MIB is http://www.mib.com/html/lost-life-insurance.html.

Unfortunately, it has been my experience that family members sometimes have the good intention of naming someone a beneficiary but later change their minds about who to name without telling you or because of financial difficulties let the policy lapse for non-payment.

I hope this helps. In the meantime, I am sorry for your loss and wish you the best of luck for the future.

Answer 2

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RE :How do I find out about getting life insurance money that was left to me but I don't know the ins carrier?
My aunt passed away and left me life insurance money. I know that my family will not give me the information becuz they have already spent my money. What do I do to find out about the money that has been paid out within the last 2 months to me, but I did not receive it.
Follow 4 answers

Answer 3

Life insurance money would be paid directly to you by check in your name from the insurance company. If you are a minor, it may have one or both of your parents' names on it as well. If your parents have misappropriated the money, that would be illegal (it is possible that they have merely placed it in a savings account for you, which would be legal if you are a minor). In most states, estate papers must be filed with your county's probate division of the courts. Call your County government offices and find out who you can talk to to find out what information is on file there. Good luck.

Answer 4

The insurance company will only send the check (made out to the beneficiary) directly to the beneficiary. They don't send cash to whoever files the claim (for instance).

If you did not receive proceeds from the policy either the claim has not been filed or you were not a beneficiary.

Answer 5

No fears!

They CAN'T spend your money. If the life insurance was left to YOU, the insurance company gives YOU the check, made payable only to YOU. Someone else can't GET your life insurance money.

So either she didn't "leave it to you", or no one filed the claim.

You can't "find out" unless you're executor of her estate. It's private information.