Life insurers are now following a new trend of asking their clients if they ever had sex with a prostitute or as one.

This news has made the Privacy Commission raise an eyebrow for these are personal questions. And if anybody has to complain about this new tactics of life insurance companies can approach the privacy commissioner anytime.

AMP insurance and BNZ bank are the companies which ask about their customer's sexual lifestyle with prostitutes, while those that do not follow such practice are the Westpac, Kiwibank and AA Life.

Geoff Dyer, AMP chief underwriter, said that it was necessary for them to ask such questions in order to figure out if those people who are applying for insurances are being exposed to HIV.

This particular question has already been included in their form since 2004 since AIDS and HIV were identified as major health issue.

Other questions are also being prompted by life insurance companies such as if they ever had a sexually transmitted disease, a bowel polyp, a raised cholesterol or ever attempted a suicide.

Privacy