Four people charged with insurance fraud after wreaking havoc in bear costumes

As a seasoned gamer and a keen observer of the bizarre antics that unfold in the digital world and beyond, I find myself utterly astounded by the audacity displayed by these four Los Angeles residents. Claiming a bear attack on their high-dollar cars seems like a plot straight out of a Grand Theft Auto mission, or perhaps a prank from an April Fool’s Day heist in Red Dead Redemption 2.


Four individuals are currently in custody, accused of insurance fraud. They allegedly submitted a fabricated video claiming that a bear had attacked and damaged three of their expensive vehicles.

The California Department of Insurance’s press release claims that four individuals residing in Los Angeles are accused of committing insurance fraud. They reportedly made false claims stating that a bear had damaged their vehicles severely.

Once the insurance firm initially thought there might be fraud involved, the department started looking into the allegations. This was despite having a video showing a supposed bear attacking a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost. In the course of their investigation, they eventually discovered that what appeared to be a bear was actually a person in a bear costume.

Additionally, detectives uncovered two more insurance claims from different firms lodged by suspects, each alleging damage to their Mercedes from a bear in the same spot. However, the department is convinced that the videos submitted with these claims depict a person in a bear costume once more.

In order to confirm that the videos were indeed not showing a real bear, a wildlife expert from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife examined the three supposed bear videos, and their conclusion was that it was evidently a person wearing a bear costume,” the statement noted.

Four people charged with insurance fraud after wreaking havoc in bear costumes

Following the issuance of a search warrant, police discovered the suspect’s bear costume from the videos at hand. The appearance of the costume, as depicted in the image released by the department, is typical, yet it appears to have a white jacket added for some unknown reason.

Instead of using kitchen utensils to mimic a “bear” damaging cars, the alleged suspects reportedly employed a set of Kitchen Mama meat shredder claws. Upon conducting a swift reverse image search, TopMob recognized these items as such.

In this situation, the accused individuals are believed to have accumulated an enormous debt of approximately $141,839 due to the fraudulent activities. If found guilty, each individual may be required to pay a fine of up to $50,000 and could spend five years in a state correctional facility.

Over the years, the California Department of Insurance has delved into numerous cases of insurance fraud that have spread like wildfire. In 2023, they indicted YouTubers Christopher and Kimberly Phelps on charges of insurance fraud and endangering their children by intentionally staging accidents for their content.

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2024-11-14 22:18