In 2000, Australian millionaire Harry Gordon tried to get a AU$3.5 million payout from his life insurance policy by faking his own death.
With help from his wife, Sheila, and daughter, Josaphine, they cashed in on the claim. Harry then used the money to start a new life in New Zealand. There, he met his second wife.
The situation unraveled after Harry and his new wife bumped into his brother, Michael, on a hiking trip in Tauranga. Michael then told Sheila about Harry’s new wife and that’s when things escalated quickly.
Authorities later uncovered the fraud. Harry was arrested and pleaded guilty to conspiring to obtain money by deception, among other charges. He was sentenced to 15 months in jail. Later, he went on to write a book aptly titled How I Faked My Own Death and Did Not Get Away with It.
SOURCE: Insurance Business America
