Official announcements from California Department of Insurance or legislative records

Four Arrested in California for $140,000 Insurance Fraud Using Bear Costume

Nov 14, 2024, 01:54 AM

Four Los Angeles-area residents were arrested after allegedly staging bear attacks on luxury vehicles to defraud insurance companies of more than $140,000, according to California officials. The suspects reportedly used a bear costume to damage the interiors of three cars, including a Rolls Royce, and then filed insurance claims asserting that the damage was caused by a wild bear. The scheme was uncovered during an investigation by the California Department of Insurance, dubbed Operation Bear Claw, which determined that the supposed animal vandal was actually a person in a bear costume. The incidents took place in Lake Arrowhead, a mountain community in San Bernardino County.