The California Department of Insurance has arrested four individuals tied to an intricate scheme where they falsely claimed a bear damaged their expensive cars. The investigation revealed video evidence of a person in a bear costume attempting to support their fraudulent insurance claims.
Four Arrested in Elaborate Bear Suit Insurance Fraud Scheme
Four Arrested in Elaborate Bear Suit Insurance Fraud Scheme
A bizarre insurance scam involving fake bear attacks on luxury cars has led to the arrest of four suspects in California.
In a peculiar case that has captured attention statewide, four suspects have been arrested for allegedly orchestrating an insurance fraud scheme involving a man disguised as a bear. The accused, consisting of Los Angeles-area residents—Ruben Tamrazian, 26; Ararat Chirkinian, 39; Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32; and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39—reportedly filed fake insurance claims after claiming that a bear had damaged the interiors of high-end vehicles including a Rolls Royce and two Mercedes models.
The bizarre situation unfolded when the suspects submitted video footage to several insurance companies, depicting what appeared to be a bear climbing into a luxury car. Investigators from the California Department of Insurance grew suspicious of the footage, which showed the creature purportedly rummaging through the vehicle. This prompted a deeper investigation, ultimately leading to the execution of a search warrant at the suspects’ residence.
Upon inspection, officials discovered a bear costume, leading to suspicions that the “bear” in the video was, in fact, a human dressed in the outfit. The department received corroboration from a wildlife biologist who verified the individual’s identity as a person, not a bear. Consequently, the investigation, dubbed "Operation Bear Claw," revealed that the suspects received $141,839 in insurance payouts due to their fraudulent activities.
The initial device of deceit transpired in January when they claimed a bear damaged a 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost, valued around $100,000. Following this claim, they allegedly filed two additional claims on the same day for two different Mercedes-Benz cars, using the same details for damage while relying on the fabricated concept of a bear attack.
Authorities including the Glendale Police Department and the California Highway Patrol collaborated to ascertain the fraud, with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office now prosecuting the case. The creative yet misguided ploy has sparked astonishment among observers, highlighting the lengths some individuals may go to in their attempts to exploit insurance systems.
