Everest Guides Accused of Bogus Rescue Scam

It's one of the more unusual insurance scams in a while—and it involves Mt. Everest. Nepali investigators say a network of guides, hospital staff, and rescue operators orchestrated fake evacuations and unnecessary hospitalizations of foreign climbers in a scheme worth as much as $20 million, reports NBC News. Nepal's Central Investigation Bureau says 10 people have been arrested so far, with local media reporting charges against 32 guides.

The Kathmandu Post explains that the scam had two main avenues: In the first, a foreign hiker who grew tired on the mountain would be advised to feign sickness so a helicopter would arrive for an evacuation. Guides would then doctor the related medical paperwork to make things appear worse than they were. In the second example, guides would convince otherwise healthy hikers that they were in serious danger of altitude sickness. Investigators say food would sometimes be tainted with baking powder to make hikers feel unwell.

In one case, a hospital assistant is even accused of recycling his own old X-ray to buttress medical claims. Authorities allege the group forged documents, including flight and cargo manifests, and funneled nearly 4,800 international climbers through hospitals for no good reason between 2022 and 2025.