Fake Bear Scammers Arrested for Insurance Fraud

Four Los Angeles area residents were arrested last week after they allegedly claimed a bear had caused damage to their luxury vehicles – but the real perp turned out to be a human in a bear costume. The four are charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy, and an arrest warrant has been issued for a fifth suspect.

California’s Department of Insurance say the suspects filed insurance claims in January, alleging that their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost has been broken into by a bear in Lake Arrowhead. They helpfully provided video footage of the break-in to their insurance company.

The state agency smelled a rat, not a bear. Detectives noticed two more insurance claims – for a pair of Mercedes – filed on the same date from the same place, again blaming a bear and providing video. The department enlisted the help of a biologist to have a look at the footage. 

“Clearly a human in a bear suit,” the department reported in its press release. “After executing a search warrant, detectives found the bear costume in one of the suspect’s home. The insurance companies were defrauded of $141,839.”

The alleged scammers must have thought they could get away with pinning the crime on a bear because bear encounters have been on the rise in California, as humans encroach farther into places where bears live.

Some encounters end tragically, as in June this year, when a 71-year-old woman was killed in her home in the state’s first documented fatal mauling by a black bear.

Other times the ursine run-in can be amusing, as in Sierra Madre in September, when a black bear took up residence in the crawl space under the home of Bob Nesler, a retiree. Nesler happened to be retired from Hollywood as a cartoon animator: he was the guy who drew Yogi Bear. 

Photo credit: California Department of Insurance