Four people were arrested in California (United States) for using a suit bear for simulate attacks of these animals luxury cars in order to bill insurance companies for interior damage.
The California Department of Insurance concluded that it was not a bear but ““a person in disguise” the author of the attacks of which they were victims three high-end cars on June 28 in Lake Arrowhead, a California mountain town.
To reach this conclusion, we had the help of a biologist of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which reviewed security camera videos showing a furry creature moving inside a Rolls Royce from 2010 and two Mercedes Benzes, from 2015 and 2022.
Man dressed as a bear and scratched cars to get insurance payouts
Four California residents sent insurance companies videos of a wild animal smashing into their cars – a Rolls-Royce Ghost, a Mercedes G63 AM and a Mercedes E350. It turns out that they organized the attack of the “wild beast”… pic.twitter.com/YeSmjPKv2l
– NEXT (@nexta_tv) November 14, 2024
A $142,000 fraud
The owners of the vehicle claimed a total of $141,839 to their insurers.
In the video, in very poor quality black and white images, we can see a furry being inside the cars and also clear images of the damage caused on the leather upholstery and the frame or dashboard.
The same department also published a photograph of a bear costume life size and with sharp claws, which is believed to be the one used by those currently in custody, charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy to defraud.
For the claws, they used a kitchen utensil that chefs use to tear meat.
It was precisely the detectives from the Insurance Department who investigated the case who called the operation Bear claw.
The detainees were identified as Ruben Tamrazian26 years old; Ararat Shirkinian39; Vahe Muradkhanyan, of 32, and Alfiya Zuckerman, of them, all residents of the Los Angeles area.
