Fraudsters Staged Fake Bear Attacks on Luxury Cars Wearing a Costume. They Bilked Insurers Out of $141K - Until a Wildlife Expert Watched the Videos.

"Three Southern California residents were sentenced to six months in jail for a grizzly crime. They put someone in a bear costume, had them climb into their luxury cars and scratch up the interiors with barbecue meat claws, then filed insurance claims for bear damage."

"The scam netted over $141,000 from three different insurance companies before a wildlife biologist exposed the fraud. Ruben Tamrazian, Vahe Muradkhanyan and Alfiya Zuckerman targeted a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost and two Mercedes-Benzes, claiming a bear rifled through all three vehicles."

"Investigators called in a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to review the footage. His conclusion? The animal was clearly a human in a bear suit. Detectives later found the elaborate brown costume and meat-shredding handles during a search warrant."

Three Southern California residents were sentenced to six months in jail for staging a fraudulent insurance scheme. They dressed a person in a bear costume to damage luxury cars, including a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes-Benzes, and filed claims for bear damage. The scam resulted in over $141,000 in payouts from three insurance companies. The fraud was uncovered when a wildlife biologist reviewed the footage and identified the 'bear' as a human. Investigators later found the costume and meat claws used in the scheme.

Read at Entrepreneur