Authorities in California have uncovered a bizarre and elaborate insurance scam involving a fake bear attack on several luxury vehicles.
The incident, initially reported as a bear causing damage inside a Rolls-Royce and two other high-end cars, was later revealed to be a scheme involving four suspects in the Los Angeles area. These individuals allegedly staged the attacks by wearing a bear costume to file fraudulent insurance claims, Fox 4 KDFW reported.
The suspects—Ararat Chirkinian, 39, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, Ruben Tamrazian, 26, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39—were arrested after a detailed investigation led by the California Department of Insurance. The case first came to light on January 28 when the group claimed that a bear had entered their 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost in the Lake Arrowhead area, causing significant interior damage. The suspects provided video footage to their insurance company, showing the alleged bear in the vehicle.
However, suspicions were raised when the insurance company noticed inconsistencies in the claims.
Further investigation revealed that the ‘bear’ in the footage was, in fact, a person dressed in a bear suit. Detectives also uncovered two additional fraudulent claims for similar incidents involving a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350, both occurring on the same date and at the same location.
The suspects used the same method—filming a person in a bear costume to simulate damage caused by a bear—to support their fraudulent claims to multiple insurance companies. Each claim involved significant vehicle damage, and all three claims were linked by the same false narrative.
A biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife also reviewed the video evidence, confirming that the creature depicted in the footage was undoubtedly a human in a bear suit. When investigators executed a search warrant at the suspects’ home, they found the bear costume used in the staged attacks.
In total, the suspects defrauded insurance companies out of $141,839. The four individuals now face serious charges, including insurance fraud and conspiracy, after being arrested for their involvement in this unusual and deceptive scam.
