1 week Ago By Matthew Guy
Article content A quartet of people in California were recently arrested on charges of insurance fraud in that state. The accused were trying to claim a wild bear had trashed a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost and provided video evidence in support of their claim. However, in what is a sentence this author absolutely did not expect to type today, evidence seized by investigators included an elaborate bear costume and at least two meat claws.
It seems the latter is, in part, what gave the game away. Authorities said the ‘claw marks’ inside the vehicles were far too uniform to have been made by a panicked bear, not to mention the scratches seemed to indicate the presence of six claws. Bears have five claws.
If only the perps had paid attention in elementary science class or at least watched a single episode of Yogi Bear . Even if they had, it likely would have been for nought. Insurance investigators aren’t known for their humour, and the ones assigned to this case apparently sniffed out the fact that it was a human in a bear costume which was picked up on the video and not an actual bruin.
The California Department of Insurance actually had a biologist from the Department of Fish and Wildlife review the alleged bear videos, at which time they also opined it was clearly a human in a bear suit. In other words, the theatre didn’t work and it was the film provided by the perps themselves which played a large role in sealing the fate of these fraudsters who were trying to make off with an estimated $142,000. But wait, there’s more.
Investigators continued down this dubious rabbit hole and eventually were able to determine these same people also filed claims alleging similar damage to a 2015 Mercedes-AMG G63 and a 2022 Mercedes-Benz E 350. In a stunning display of witless behaviour, cops say claims for those two rigs were made on the same day and the one for the Rolls. The biologist mentioned above was called in to examine the video ‘proof’ in those instances as well and came to the same conclusion.
Sounds grisly, especially since bears in cars can be an actual problem . Crime doesn’t pay, kids. Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on X , Tiktok and LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.
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