4 Arrested After Insurance Companies Look Closely at Footage of ‘Bear’ Damaging Cars
In California, a group of four residents was arrested in a scheme dubbed “Operation Bear Claw” for allegedly defrauding three insurance companies out of nearly $142,000. They claimed that a bear had caused damage to their luxury vehicles, including a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes. The suspects provided video evidence showing a “bear” inside the cars, but investigators suspected it was a person in a bear costume. A review by a state wildlife biologist confirmed this suspicion. After further investigation and a search of the suspects’ home, the actual bear costume was found. This incident occurred amidst a rising number of bear break-ins in California, where these animals have been reported to invade homes and neighborhoods in search of food. The current legal status of the arrested individuals is unclear as it’s unknown whether they have retained attorneys.
California has seen its of bears breaking into cars. But bears caught on camera entering luxury cars tipped off insurers that something wasn’t quite right.
In what it’s dubbed “Operation Bear Claw,” the California Insurance Department said four Los Angeles residents were arrested Wednesday, accused of defrauding three insurance companies out of nearly $142,000 by claiming a bear had caused damage to their vehicles.
The group is accused of providing video footage from the San Bernardino Mountains in January of a “bear” moving inside a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes to the insurance companies as part of their damage claims, the department said. Photos provided by the insurance department show what appeared to be scratches on the seats and doors.
The company viewing video of the Rolls-Royce suspected that it was not a bear inside, but someone in a bear costume.
Detectives found two additional claims, with two different insurance companies, for the four with the same date of loss and at the same location. Similar video was provided of the “bear” inside the Mercedes vehicles.
The department had a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife review the three videos, who concluded it was “clearly a human in a bear suit,” the insurance department said.
After executing a search warrant, detectives found the bear costume in the suspects’ home, the department said.
It was not immediately known if the four people arrested had attorneys.
Bears breaking into homes or trash cans in search of food have become a problem in California — from Lake Tahoe in the Sierra down to the foothill suburbs of Los Angeles, where some have been known to raid refrigerators and take dips in backyard pools and hot tubs.
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