Four people have been arrested after US investigators found a person in a bear costume faked animal damage to three luxury cars in an insurance fraud. 

In the first incident, the suspects provided video footage to an insurer that they said showed the “bear” damaging their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost.

The company suspected fraud, and the California Department of Insurance began an investigation. 

Detectives found two more similar claims with other insurance companies, with the same date of loss and at the same location – January 28 in Lake Arrowhead. 

These two cases involved a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350, with the claimants again providing video footage showing a “bear” inside the vehicles. 

A California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, asked by Operation Bear Claw investigators to review the three incidents, agreed it was clearly a human. 

Detectives gained a search warrant and found a bear costume (below) in the suspects’ home.

The insurance companies were defrauded of $US141,839 ($219,232), the Insurance Department alleges.

LA residents Ruben Tamrazian, 26, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, have all been charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy.