Is it legal to take advantage of woo-believers?

[DetlefK]

The sceanrio below got me thinking. Would it be possible to sell insurance against things that don't exist?

[Expat in Korea]

1. Turns out...

2. In 2001 a "Captain Beaney" insured himself against abduction, impregnation and consumption by aliens for £1m.

...

4. In 1999 Mary Muphy insured herself against an immaculate conception in the year 2000. Insured amount £1m.

5. In 2002 the Royal Falcon Hotel in Lowestoft insured its staff and customers against death and disability occasioned by poltergeist or other abnormal phenomena. The sum insured was £1m.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/insurance/specialrisks/4973025/Third-party-fire-and-alien-abduction-Ten-more-weird-insurance-policies.html

[bvf]

2. Isn't that what indulgences were all about

back in the day?

Or was that more a matter of paying up front for "offenses" already committed to get one's ass out of purgatory more quickly?

Either way, there's still one born every minute.

[AlbertCat]

3. Isn't that what indulgences were all about

Isn't that what religion is all about?????

[HuckleB]

4. It's legal to sell worthless crap under the same pretenses, so why should this be illegal?