Bear Costume Scam: 3 Convicted in $142K Insurance Fraud

0:00It's April 18, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Canada News, today local news powered by AI. Three folks in California just got hit with sentences for pulling off a wild insurance scam using a bear costume to trash luxury rides. They staged fake bear attacks on a Rolls Royce and two Mercedes back in 2024, then filed claims for almost $142,000. Investigators named the bust Operation Bear Claw. The two guys and one woman from the Los Angeles area copped no contest please to felony fraud charges. Each got a weekend in jail plus probation and two of them owe over $50,000 back in restitution. Real bears are a headache in California these days, raiding homes from the Sierra to LA suburbs, hitting fridges and pools. But this crew tried faking it with videos shot in the San Bernardino Mountains showing scratches inside the cars. A wildlife expert spotted the hoax right away from the footage and cops found the costume

1:00during a home search. One more suspect has the cordon September wrapping up this furry fraughtail.