They dressed like a bear and damaged a Rolls-Royce in an audacious insurance scheme

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“Operation Bear Claw” was definitely a new kind of insurance fraud case.The target: a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes-Benzes.The weapon: a bear suit and meat claws.A Southern California woman and two men, who pleaded no contest this week in a scheme to rip off insurance companies by putting on a bear costume and staging fake attacks on luxury vehicles, have been sentenced to jail time.The scam was strictly small-time.Insurance companies lost a total of $141,839.

But authorities said it represented a highly unusual take on car insurance fraud that was uncovered only when an investigator from one of the insurance companies took a careful look at surveillance video of one of the orchestrated attacks.“It’s definitely out of the ordinary,” said Capt.Eric Hood, a 20-year veteran with the California Department of Insurance who led the probe, in an interview with The Times on Friday.

“I don’t think we saw anything to that extent in the past where they got a bear suit.It’s definitely unique.”Auto insurance fraud is a costly yet common problem across the country that’s increasingly leading to higher premiums for consumers, experts say.

Fraud most frequently takes the form of staged crashes, arson and people lying to get car insurance.But this case was something else.“What may have looked unbelievable turned out to be exactly that — and now those responsible are being held accountable,” state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in a statement.The state’s investigation into the bizarre scheme started in 2024 after the group claimed a bear entered their 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, which retails for $245,000 new, in Lake Arrowhead and scratched up the inside of the car.

In an attempt to bolster their story, they even submitted a video of the incident — but it ultimately would be their undoing, authorities said.Video of the attack released by the Department of Ins...