Americans Dressed Up in "Bear" Costumes to Collect Insurance Payments (3 photos + 1 video)

The insurance company suspected something was wrong and launched an investigation.





In the United States, three middle-aged men and one woman hatched a scam that involved posing as a bear. The case is described on the California Department of Insurance (CDI) website.



The scheme was as follows: one of the scammers would dress up as a "bear" and stage an attack on a luxury car containing his accomplices. This was all done to claim insurance money.

At some point, the insurance company became suspicious. The scammers reported that a bear had gotten into the car and damaged the interior, and they also provided a video recording. Experts, including a biologist, reviewed the footage and concluded that the man in the video was in disguise.

An investigation was launched, and the case was dubbed "Operation Bear Claw." The suspects were detained.



It turned out that the scammers managed to earn approximately $141,000 through this scheme.

The court found three people guilty. They were sentenced to up to six months in prison and ordered to pay compensation. Another defendant is awaiting trial.