Ever had to prove you're not dead ?

[joe cassidy]

I'm retired and based overseas but receive a monthly pension from my former employer in the UK.

This week I was surprised to get a letter from the pension fund asking me to prove I'm not dead.

As it happened I had an appointment with my doctor today. He kindly agreed to sign a certificate confirming that Joe Cassidy was still alive as of 20/6/25.

Has anyone else had to do this ?

[Newportnobby]

I've not had to do it, but with the passing away of my mother and a sister (not at the same time) I had to inform their relevant pension companies or they'd have kept payments going and then had to claw them back from the estate.
I guess the pension company was just covering their 

[kesdrive]

I receive a company pension and I have to complete a form and return to them annually to prove I am alive!

Chris

[martyn]

My pension fund also seems to have random requests for members to prove that they are still alive.

I've not yet had such a request, but when still working, I did vouch for former workmates that they were still alive!

Martyn

[PLD]

Not that but a case of the opposite!

When changing the signatories on a bank account to remove one who had sadly died, a form was received asking "Can the late Mr XXXX please sign to confirm the reason he is to be removed as a signatory"
 

[Newportnobby]

In a similar vein.......

[PLD]

yes...

Spam caller in poshest Mumbai accent:
"Hello Sir, I understand you were the victim of a fatal accident..." 

[Bealman]

I am an only child. I moved to Australia in 1974. In 1990 my mother died followed by my father 5 weeks later. I had no choice but to down tools and head back to the UK to sort it out.

There were many complications with that trip, but one of them went like this:

When I arrived, someone, probably an obscure Aunt, had placed a death notice in the local paper. It said something like, "Thomas Green, beloved father of George and Ronald...."

I laughed, and said, who, bloody Ronald MacDonald? It turns out that notice caused no end of problems.

When I was sorting stuff out, I got a call from the insurance company saying, that of course I wasn't the sole beneficiary. I told them that I did not have a brother. They said I'd have to prove that.

I replied that I could understand having to prove I had a brother, but how the hell do I prove I have NOT got a brother??! 

[Geriatrix]

I'm retired, from a career with a foreign airline. I used to have to prove yearly that I was still alive, in order to benefit from my concessionary air travel. They insisted on having a copy of a local ID card. I used to send them a copy of my bus pass and that did the trick!

[Trainfish]

When I was dealing with financial matters following my mother's death I called one of the bereavement lines of a bank. They said they couldn't speak about my mother's account without her verbal or written consent. I think I swore at them 

[Bealman]

At least it wasn't as bad as my experience in 1990 when I went to Lloyd's Bank in Birtley after I traversed the world to bury the old man.

I said, "I'm Thomas Green's son from Australia, and I'd like to close off his accounts."

The manager replied, "Actually, sir, your father owes us money"

I didn't swear at him, but I looked up at the ceiling and swore to high heaven