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A few months back, a friend of mine — a pretty senior guy at a logistics firm, the type who reads every clause in his home loan agreement twice — sent me a screenshot at 11 PM. It was a classified-style ad from a major American newspaper that just said: "Get UFO abduction insurance before they get you." No brand name. Just a phone number.
His message was simple: "Is this a scam or is this actually a thing?"
I've spent years writing about insurance products — the boring kind and the weird kind — and honestly, this question comes up more than you'd think. So I went down the rabbit hole again, dug through the history, checked the real companies involved, and I'm laying it all out here in plain language. No jargon, no fear-mongering, just what alien abduction insurance actually is, what it costs, and whether it's worth your money.
What Exactly Is Alien Abduction Insurance?
Let's start simple. Alien abduction insurance is a novelty policy that promises to pay you (or your family) money if you can prove you were abducted by extraterrestrials. Some versions cover related things too — psychiatric care after the "trauma," or even oddly specific add-ons like coverage if you come back from your abduction with new telepathic powers.
I want to be upfront about something most articles gloss over: this isn't insurance in the way your health cover or car insurance is. There's no actuarial data behind it — no historical record of abduction frequency an underwriter can price against. As one insurance training resource puts it, the risk is essentially unquantifiable, which is exactly why big names like GEICO or Progressive won't touch it.
That doesn't mean it's fake, though. It's real in the sense that real companies have really sold it, really collected premiums, and — in at least one bizarre case — really paid out a claim. It's just not "insurance" in the regulatory, risk-pooling sense. Think of it more as a novelty product with an insurance-shaped wrapper.
Is There Really Such a Thing as Alien Abduction Insurance?
Short answer: yes, and it's been around longer than most people think.
The first company to formalize this was the UFO Abduction Insurance Co., a subsidiary of the St. Lawrence Agency based in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Founded by Mike St. Lawrence in 1987, the company has sold tens of thousands of policies to believers and skeptics alike, and Guinness World Records even recognizes it as the first company to sell this kind of coverage. TestingInsurance
I actually looked into St. Lawrence's background a bit more, and what struck me is how honest he is about the whole thing. When asked to describe himself, he calls himself someone in the "humor business" — he's not pretending this is a serious financial product. And yet, according to a 2019 Fox report, his agency also offers reincarnation insurance, asteroid insurance, and even coverage for anyone who storms Area 51 and doesn't make it out alive. So the alien abduction policy fits into a broader lineup of "just in case the world gets weird" products. FOX 5 DC
If you're the type of person (like my friend) who likes independent verification before believing anything, this is a good moment to check out how breaks down real, regulated insurance — it helps to know the difference before you go shopping for novelty products.
Lloyd's of London and Alien Abduction Insurance
This is the part that surprises most professionals I talk to. Lloyd's of London — the 350-plus-year-old insurance marketplace that's insured everything from Mariah Carey's legs to a coffee taster's tongue for £10 million — has also gotten into alien abduction coverage. Lloyd's of London issues insurance policies against being abducted by aliens, and reportedly 20,000 people to date have paid premiums for that peace of mind, according to one industry summary from 2015. Other reports push that number higher — Lloyd's has claimed to have sold over 40,000 alien abduction policies at various points. ActiveRainVocal Media
Worth understanding here: Lloyd's isn't a single insurance company in the traditional sense. It's a marketplace where independent underwriting syndicates price and accept unusual risks — which is exactly why it's become the go-to name for anything strange, from insuring a Santa Claus beard to underwriting a golf tournament's hole-in-one prize.
One detail I found genuinely funny: the man behind Lloyd's alien policy, broker Simon Burgess, openly admitted the motivation. According to a report covering weird Lloyd's policies, he said insurance can be tedious, so he liked adding a bit of humour to his work now and then. That's basically the whole story in one line — this was never meant to be taken as seriously as your term life plan.
McAlvany Alien Abduction Insurance — The 2025 Ad Campaign
Here's where things get interesting for anyone who's seen this term floating around recently. In late 2025, McAlvany Financial Group — a precious metals and wealth management firm — ran a viral marketing stunt using this exact idea. They placed cryptic classified ads in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal that read "GET UFO ABDUCTION INSURANCE BEFORE THEY GET YOU" along with a phone number, and barely any branding.
Anyone curious enough to call that number heard a recorded message from David McAlvany, the company's CEO, pivoting the conversation toward Gold IRAs as a form of "wealth insurance" for retirement savings. It was a clever bait-and-switch — people curious enough to call were greeted with a message emphasizing the importance of insuring your wealth, offering a path to learn more about Gold IRAs. So "McAlvany alien abduction insurance" isn't an actual product McAlvany sells — it was a marketing hook to sell precious metals investment services. If you searched that term expecting a real policy, now you know the real story.
This actually taught me something about how creative financial marketing can get. If retirement planning is genuinely on your mind (minus the little green men), you might find retirement-planning-guide more useful than any abduction-themed ad campaign.
How Much Does Alien Abduction Insurance Cost?
This is probably the question I get asked most, so let's get specific with real numbers I found across multiple sources.
The St. Lawrence Agency, the original and most famous provider, prices its policy at $24.95 for a paper copy, and $19.95 for a digital copy. That's a one-time fee, not an annual premium — a big difference from how normal insurance works, where you pay every year to stay covered. Insurance Business
Lloyd's-affiliated brokers have historically charged more. One report on strange insurance policies noted a UK cult's group policy cost $155 a year for a $160,000 payout should someone be abducted. That's obviously a very different pricing model — a recurring annual premium tied to a much smaller payout than the American version. Pacific Prime
So to directly answer "how much does alien abduction insurance cost" — expect anywhere from around $20 (one-time, US-based novelty policy) to $150+ a year (UK-style broker policy), depending on who's selling it.
What Does an Alien Abduction Insurance Policy Actually Cover?
I'll be honest, this is my favorite part of the research because the coverage details are genuinely creative. According to Insurance Business magazine's reporting on the St. Lawrence policy, the alien abduction insurance is good for life and provides $10 million in coverage, which covers outpatient psychiatric care, "double identity" coverage and even "sarcasm coverage" for any mockery or sarcasm victims might face from immediate family members in the wake of an alien abduction. Insurance Business
Yes — sarcasm coverage. In case your family doesn't believe you.
But here's the catch that every buyer needs to understand before they get excited about that $10 million figure. The policy offers $10 million in coverage, but at a payout of $1 per year for 10 million years. So functionally, no one is ever collecting that lump sum in their lifetime — it's structured as an annuity stretched across an impossible timeline. This is standard practice across most alien abduction policies; even reports on Lloyd's cousin, "spooksafe" insurance for hauntings and werewolf attacks, mention similarly theatrical payout structures. TGS Insurance Agency
The Alien Abduction Insurance Card — What Is It?
If you buy a policy, most providers will send you a physical proof-of-coverage card or certificate — similar to a health insurance ID card, just for a very different kind of emergency. St. Lawrence Agency, for instance, offers a paper copy mailed to you so you can frame and prove to your family that you actually have alien abduction insurance. Some buyers genuinely frame these and hang them up as conversation pieces — I've seen photos of them in office break rooms, which honestly makes sense given how many senior professionals seem to enjoy the novelty as much as younger buyers do. FOX 5 DC
Which Companies Sell Alien Abduction Insurance?
Let me lay out the real players so you're not confused by knockoffs or scam sites:
The St. Lawrence Agency / UFO Abduction Insurance Company in Altamonte Springs, Florida, is the original and longest-running provider, founded in 1987. As of a 2019 report, they'd sold over 6,000 policies, and per a separate industry glossary source, other estimates put the number much higher — a company in Florida is currently providing $20 million of coverage for extraterrestrial abduction to almost 7,000 people in the U.S.. TGS Insurance Agencywww.insuedot.com
Goodfellow Rebecca Ingrams Pearson (GRIP), a London brokerage, is another notable one, though it became infamous for insuring the Heaven's Gate cult before their tragic mass suicide in 1997.
Lloyd's of London, through various syndicates and brokers, has periodically sold alien abduction policies as part of its broader "unusual risks" business, alongside things like celebrity body parts and ghost-attack coverage.
There have also been reports of unnamed London-based firms selling policies across Europe — Goodfellow Rebecca Ingram Pearson, a firm based in London, has sold over 30,000 policies in Europe, according to one insurance blog. Riskaverseinsurance
If you're researching companies before buying any kind of policy — even a serious one — this is exactly the due diligence habit I'd recommend. It's the same logic I use when comparing real providers at best insurance plans india
Can You Actually Claim Alien Abduction Insurance?
Here's the honest answer: technically yes, but practically, almost never.
Most policies require you to provide something close to impossible — specific information about the aliens, including where they're from and what type of spacecraft they use, a detailed description of the incident, the signature of an "authorized, on-board alien," and often a lie detector test or third-party witness statement. Trusted Choice
But — and this genuinely surprised me when I first read it — St. Lawrence Agency claims to have actually paid out. According to Fox reporting, one policyholder who made a claim had talked with a professor at MIT who examined an implant that came out of the policyholder's body and said the implant was not made of any earthly substance, which St. Lawrence considered tangible proof, so they waived the signature requirement and started paying a dollar a year for 10 years before losing contact with him. Whether you believe the implant story or not, it's a real, documented example of the company honoring its own quirky terms. FOX 5 DC
Should You Actually Buy Alien Abduction Insurance? My Honest Take
I get asked this a lot by people who are otherwise very financially sensible — senior citizens who've spent decades doing proper retirement planning, or business owners who've got real liability cover sorted. My honest opinion: buy it if you find it funny, not if you're actually worried about extraterrestrials.
Think of it the way you'd think of buying a lottery ticket for fun on payday — you're not doing it because you expect to win, you're doing it because it's a small, low-stakes bit of entertainment. At $20-25 one time, or even $150 a year through a UK broker, it's genuinely a novelty gift or conversation piece, not a financial safety net.
Where I'd draw a hard line is this: don't let a novelty purchase distract you from real coverage gaps. If you're a business owner without proper liability insurance, or a professional without adequate health or life cover, that's the thing to fix first. A UFO policy is a fun add-on, not a substitute.
Alien Abduction Insurance vs. Real Insurance — What Every Professional Should Know
I think the real value of this topic isn't the aliens — it's what it teaches about how insurance actually works. Real insurance is built on actuarial science: historical data, statistical probability, and risk pooling across large groups of people. That's how your health insurer, car insurer, or life insurer prices your premium.
Alien abduction insurance skips all of that. There's no data on abduction frequency, so there's no real pricing model — companies essentially charge whatever the market will pay for the novelty. That's a useful lesson even outside this niche: any time someone offers you a policy with no clear actuarial basis, be extra cautious, because it's either a novelty product (harmless, like this one) or, worse, a scam dressed up as insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is alien abduction insurance a real, legally binding insurance product?
No. It's a novelty product sold by niche companies and, occasionally, brokers connected to Lloyd's of London. It doesn't operate under the same regulatory or actuarial framework as standard insurance.
How much does alien abduction insurance cost?
Typically $19.95 to $24.95 as a one-time fee from US providers like St. Lawrence Agency, or around $150 a year through some UK-based broker policies.
Is there an alien abduction insurance card?
Yes, most providers send a printed certificate or card as proof of "coverage," which buyers often frame as a novelty item.
Has anyone actually collected on an alien abduction insurance claim?
According to the St. Lawrence Agency, yes — one claim was paid out at a rate of $1 a year based on an unusual implant a claimant provided as evidence.
Is McAlvany an alien abduction insurance company?
No. McAlvany Financial Group ran a 2025 ad campaign using "UFO abduction insurance" as a marketing hook to promote its Gold IRA and wealth management services — they don't actually sell alien abduction policies.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, alien abduction insurance is one of the most entertaining corners of the insurance world — a mix of genuine 1980s entrepreneurial creativity, some clever 2025 marketing borrowing, and a lot of Lloyd's of London doing what it's always done: pricing the impossible with a straight face. It's not something I'd recommend as an investment or a safety net, but as a novelty conversation piece or a gift for the UFO enthusiast in your life, it's harmless fun.
If this deep dive got you thinking more seriously about the coverage gaps in your actual financial life — health, life, business liability — that's the conversation worth having next. Check out to make sure your real-world risks are covered before you start worrying about the ones from outer space.