Three sentenced for 'man in bear suit' insurance scam

Three men have been sentenced in California for an insurance scam using someone in a bear costume to stage fake attacks on luxury cars. Viral video handed to insurers as evidence seemed to show a bear in a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost in Lake Arrowhead on 28 January 2024. Similar claims were filed on the same date and location for two high-end Mercedes m...

Three men have been sentenced in California for an insurance scam using someone in a bear costume to stage fake attacks on luxury cars.

Viral video handed to insurers as evidence seemed to show a bear in a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost in Lake Arrowhead on 28 January 2024. Similar claims were filed on the same date and location for two high-end Mercedes models.

But biologists at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reviewed the footage and determined it showed a human in a bear suit.

The state insurance department launched "Operation Bear Claw", executing a search warrant and finding a bear outfit in the suspects' home. The fraud involved $141,839 (£105,000) in insurance payments.