Aliens kidnapped you? Insurance has you covered

Mashrukh Khan: Thousands of people across the UK, Europe and the US have bought alien abduction insurance policies as a quirky safeguard against extraterrestrial encounters.

The trend began in 1987 when Florida’s UFO Abduction Insurance Company, run by Mike St Lawrence, started selling novelty coverage for a one-time fee of about $20.

Policyholders receive up to $10 million in benefits for psychiatric care, lost wages or emotional distress if they can prove they were taken by aliens, though payouts are structured as $1 a year for 10 million years.

A London-based firm, Goodfellow Rebecca Ingram Pearson, later offered similar policies and sold more than 30,000 across Europe, with premiums around £150 and payouts reaching millions. Lloyd’s of London also reportedly issued thousands of such covers.

St Lawrence’s company has sold over 6,000 policies and claims to have paid out on two, including one case backed by a purported alien implant examined by an MIT professor.

The Florida firm markets the product as humorous, adding perks like sarcasm coverage and double indemnity for alien pregnancy or repeated visits. No mainstream insurer treats alien abduction as standard risk, yet demand persists among believers and joke buyers.

These policies highlight a light-hearted side of the insurance world, turning public fascination with UFOs into profit while requiring ironclad proof that remains nearly impossible to provide. To date, genuine large-scale claims have not materialised.