Helicopter claims elevating scam concerns in Nepal

Travel-insurance claims stemming from travelers trekking near Mount Everest are reportedly spiraling out of control.

And several international insurers are now threatening to end travel coverage to Nepal if the government does not stop fraudulent “trek operators, guides, helicopter companies and even doctors and hospitals” from conspiring “to bilk millions of dollars from insurance companies by pushing for emergency mountainside evacuations for minor illnesses, or when simpler treatment options were available,” The New York Times reported on Friday. 

Investigations by the Nepali government and Traveller Assist, a medical assistance company based in Ireland, in 2018 found that conspirators “preyed on trekkers when they were most vulnerable — trudging up remote trails, cold, wet, sick, confused and miles from any well-serviced towns,” according to the newspaper.

“The Nepali government found evidence that some guides went as far as intentionally making hikers ill by spiking their food with large amounts of baking soda, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea and other ailments, and then calling for an emergency helicopter evacuation,” according to the report.