In the United States, four individuals have been arrested for impersonating a bear and causing damage to vehicles in order to defraud insurance companies.
According to foreign news agencies, the “Operation Bear Claw” led by the California Department of Insurance reported that the four residents of Los Angeles were arrested on Wednesday for scamming insurance companies out of $142,000. They claimed that their vehicles were damaged by a bear.
The department stated that the suspects provided a video of an incident that took place in January, showing a bear entering a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes vehicles. Additionally, the images provided by the insurance department revealed marks on the seats and doors.
Upon reviewing the video of the Rolls-Royce, the insurance company grew suspicious and believed that the damage was not caused by a bear but by a person in a bear costume.
Further investigation uncovered two additional claims filed with two different companies on the same date and location, using the same video of the bear entering the Mercedes.
The department stated that after obtaining search warrants, investigators found bear costumes in the homes of the suspects.
