Four people suspected of running an insurance scam were arrested in California on Wednesday after they said a bear had torn up their luxury cars, even though it was a human disguised as an animal.
The subterfuge was discovered after an investigation triggered by the doubts of an insurance company, which these people asked to cover the damage inflicted on a Rolls Royce Ghost, a luxury sedan sold for several hundred thousand dollars.
The policyholders said a bear entered the vehicle in Lake Arrowhead, a mountainous area near Los Angeles, and tore up the seats and damaged the doors, according to a statement from the California Department of Insurance. They even provided CCTV footage purporting to show the animal in full slaughter.
But “upon further review of the video, the investigation determined that the bear was in fact a person dressed as a bear,” according to the release.
Investigators then discovered that the suspects had made their money from this scheme: two other claims for compensation from different insurance companies were made for two high-end Mercedes. Each time, a bear was blamed for the damage and a video showing the aggressiveness of the alleged beast was sent as proof. A not so fanciful thesis, because California grizzly bears sometimes appear in unexpected places, often with devastation.
The images were sent to a Department of Wildlife biologist, who certified “that it was clearly a human in a bear costume,” according to the release.
The search carried out in the suspects’ den also made it possible to find the animal disguise used for the scam.
Ruben Tamrazian, 26, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, were all charged with insurance fraud. Their claims for compensation amounted to more than 140,000 dollars (125,000 francs).
