Insurer's wacky risks

GERMAN businessman Kunt Karsten Eicke has become a multi-millionaire through selling the world's quirkiest insurance policies.

Eicke's company insures people against being abducted by aliens, losing lottery tickets, marrying a bigamist or fathering an unexpected child.

There are also policies aimed at covering flyers against being hurt by turbulence, fathers fainting at the birth of their children, stock market crashes and employees being fired for playing a computer game at work.

One German stands to gain £5,000 should his government bring in prohibition and deny him his beer in the bar every evening after work.

Eicke, 61, comes from Berlin but operates his Sir Huckleberry Insurance Company out of Amsterdam. His policies are sold worldwide and even bought by Britons.

'The alien abduction one is a big seller,' says Eicke.

He offers a payout of £2,500 for anyone whisked off to Mars against their will.

The policy costs less than £20 a year - and there are additional premiums if you want to be insured against being used in sex experiments in space.

The bigamy policy costs about the same price and promises a similar payout to women who 'find the man they love is a cheating swine already married once or perhaps twice', says Eicke.

There is even an Oktoberfest policy for boozers who have to be carried away by medical staff at the world's greatest beer bash, held once a year in Munich.

It promises a payout for injuries received after falling over inside one of the beer tents the city erects each year.

Sir Huckleberry Insurance was founded in 1985 and covers the usual range of house, fire, flood, life and accident policies - but is the recent inclusion of 'fun insurance' that has sent its stock soaring.

Eicke adds: 'Didn't know you had a little one on the way? Then take out a policy with us to help ease the blow. And with our lottery loser policy, you win either way. If you don't get at least a couple of numbers up in a year, we will pay out $20,000 (£11,000).'

One market for the policies is as novelty gifts - but Eicke says: 'There is nothing gimmicky about the bottom line. They are genuine, as many customers have found out. We haven't actually paid out yet on the alien abduction policy, but anything can happen.'

One of the most popular policies in Holland and Germany is called Lottery Frustration, which many gambling addicts have bought for solace.

It is sold with the hype: 'Are you a lotto junkie? Every gambler knows in his heart that the odds are against him. Now the smart gambler can hedge his bets with a new policy from Sir Huckleberry: if your lottery numbers don't produce a twin match within a 52-week period, we will compensate you! Turn bad luck to good with Sir Huck!'

Another top seller is 'pretzel alert policy' that promises a gift basket of Bavarian goodies - including pretzels - for anyone who chokes, but survives, on the crunchy snacks like President Bush managed to do a couple of years ago.