The bear costume discovered in the suspects’ home. Courtesy, California Department of Insurance
In one of the strangest auto insurance fraud cases ever, a team of three was recently convicted of insurance fraud in California after donning a bear suit to damage luxury cars and cashing in on the insurance payouts. The cartoon-level con dates back to November 2024 when four people were initially arrested on suspicion of fraud − Ruben Tamrazian, 26; Ararat Chirkinian, 39; and Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, all of Glendale, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, after submitting a video of a “bear” entering a Rolls Royce Ghost and two different Mercedes, causing rips and tears to the interiors. All the vehicles were parked at Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains just northeast of Los Angeles – a range which does have occasional black bear activity. And while the alleged damage was mostly minor groove marks on seats, insurance companies eventually paid out $141,839 for the damages before some red flags started to pop up.
Investigators assigned to the case reviewed surveillance footage and thought the perpetrator looked a little too human, a sentiment that was confirmed by local biologists. Then, the bear costume and fake claws turned up in one of the suspect’s homes after a search warrant was executed, putting the nail in the coffin on this case. The takedown, dubbed “Operation Bear Claw” by the California Department of Insurance, resulted in three of the four pleading no contest to the charges of felony insurance fraud and the fourth with a court hearing this September. The sentencing was rather lenient, with a weekend jail program, probation, and $50,000 in restitution for two of the culprits.
“What may have looked unbelievable turned out to be exactly that, and now those responsible are being held accountable,” California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in a release. “My Department’s investigators uncovered the facts, exposed this scam, and helped bring these defendants to justice. Insurance fraud is a serious crime that drives up costs for consumers, and no scheme is too outrageous for us to investigate.”
In an ever-evolving world of insurance and insurance fraud, wild stories never fail to appear. In this instance, the execution was unbearably bad, and hopefully, will set an example for any other creative con men in California and nationwide.
See you on the trail (and watch out for the bears!),
Lisa
LMA Newsletter of 5-4-26
