Is faking your own death illegal?

[Randomguy]

A character in a show said that it wasn’t strictly illegal.  I am not so sure about that, do you know?

[shootingstar]

12 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

A character in a show said that it wasn’t strictly illegal.  I am not so sure about that, do you know?

Hmm....claiming death...can lead to costs....for the state, banks, etc.  If claimant (family member) can't provide death certificate...lots of things associated with "dead" person comes to a standstill, it's frozen.

Tax authority will still mail you the personal income tax and also property tax if you own property, that you must still pay. And that debt will pile up with interest...after all no one has send tax authorities, a death certificate and other identifying ID. All  your monthly unpaid utility, internet, etc. bills will continue to pile up against your bank account.

Faking death in the end:  costs the illegal death claimant.....real hard dollar costs of living.

[Kzoo]

How do you do that?  Do you just hold your breath until some signs the death certificate?

[Airehead ★]

Not illegal but a bad idea. 

Is It Illegal to Fake Your Own Death?

It may surprise you, but there are no state or federal laws that specifically make it a crime to fabricate your own demise. Maybe this is going to be easier than you thought! Not so fast…

The Potential Consequences of Falsely Reporting or Claiming Your Own Death

Though you may not violate any particular law by the actual act of fabricating your own death, you’ll find it impossible to live a legal day-to-day existence after you do, assuming you plan to interact with society at all. In fact, unless you live off the grid completely, with no access to electricity, running water, a phone, or other amenities of modern life, you’ll find it extremely difficult not to engage in widespread fraud:

If you try to establish credit under your new identity, you’ll be committing fraud, using bogus information to obtain that credit, so forget about buying a house or car unless you can pay cash.

If you apply for a job, you’ll most likely have to fabricate employment history and other factors. That’s fraud, too.

Want to rent an apartment or house? If you have to complete a lease application, you’ll need to use the identity of someone who doesn’t exist–more fraud.

If you have an apartment or house, you’ll need utilities. Virtually every application for electricity, gas, water, and other amenities will require you to provide bogus information.

Want to put your money in a bank instead of burying it in the back yard or stuffing it in your mattress? The bank will ask for a social security number, and you can’t use your real one.

But wait, there’s more!

Did you have a life insurance policy before you “died?” If you collect any of the proceeds, you’ll violate the law. If your loved ones collect the proceeds and it can be shown that they knew you faked your death, they can be charged, too.

When you “died,” did you owe any back state or federal taxes? Faking your death to avoid paying them is tax fraud.

Did you have child support or alimony obligations before your untimely “death?” Staging your own death to avoid those payments is—you guessed it—fraud.

[shootingstar]

Just a few wks. ago, a Canadian was irate at our federal tax authority, having mistakenly written her off as dead. It took several months to clear mistake. It was strange since she was married.

[shootingstar]

It's rather an interesting how a living person touches so many areas...and I'm not just talking about money-related things that helps a person lives. Even going off into the woods to live:  that person was a baby once upon a time..that person is biologically linked to.... many other people.

And if the person had a gift of creating stuff....preserved food, art, music, garden, other stuff they created for other people to use, their contributions to their community,  etc. that they leave behind.

But true, some of that stuff is....trashed/forgotten if no one makes the effort.

[ChrisL]

Hmm… I don’t really know but I’d think the fake death is legal, the false identity and any fraud or financial gain as a result of the faked death would be illegal.

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

If you fake your own death, they're going to put you on the cart.

You don't want to go on the cart...

 

[Scrapr ★]

Lots of people are in the cash economy. It could be done. Difficult though

[Prophet Zacharia]

8 hours ago, Thaddeus Kosciuszko said:

If you fake your own death, they're going to put you on the cart.

You don't want to go on the cart...

 

They’ll take your liver.

[Prophet Zacharia]

[MickinMD ★]

A quick google discloses:

Is It Illegal to Fake Your Own Death?

It may surprise you, but there are no state or federal laws that specifically make it a crime to fabricate your own demise. Maybe this is going to be easier than you thought! Not so fast…

The Potential Consequences of Falsely Reporting or Claiming Your Own Death

Though you may not violate any particular law by the actual act of fabricating your own death, you’ll find it impossible to live a legal day-to-day existence after you do, assuming you plan to interact with society at all. In fact, unless you live off the grid completely, with no access to electricity, running water, a phone, or other amenities of modern life, you’ll find it extremely difficult not to engage in widespread fraud:

• If you try to establish credit under your new identity, you’ll be committing fraud, using bogus information to obtain that credit, so forget about buying a house or car unless you can pay cash.
• If you apply for a job, you’ll most likely have to fabricate employment history and other factors. That’s fraud, too.
• Want to rent an apartment or house? If you have to complete a lease application, you’ll need to use the identity of someone who doesn’t exist–more fraud.
• If you have an apartment or house, you’ll need utilities. Virtually every application for electricity, gas, water, and other amenities will require you to provide bogus information.
• Want to put your money in a bank instead of burying it in the back yard or stuffing it in your mattress? The bank will ask for a social security number, and you can’t use your real one.

But wait, there’s more!

• Did you have a life insurance policy before you “died?” If you collect any of the proceeds, you’ll violate the law. If your loved ones collect the proceeds and it can be shown that they knew you faked your death, they can be charged, too.
• When you “died,” did you owe any back state or federal taxes? Faking your death to avoid paying them is tax fraud.
• Did you have child support or alimony obligations before your untimely “death?” Staging your own death to avoid those payments is—you guessed it—fraud.