Insurance Fraud Exposed As Four Blame Bear Attack That Was Staged With A Costume

"Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume."

Stephanie

• Published in News
• November 19, 2024

Four people were arrested in California this week after claiming a bear caused irreparable damage to their cars, but really, it was a person wearing a bear costume. The state Department of Insurance revealed that Ruben Tamrazian, 26, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, had each been charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy.

The department began its investigation earlier this year after an insurance company reported the suspected fraud. The four suspects informed the insurance company that a bear had caused extensive damage to the interior of their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost in January.

They even provided video footage as evidence. However, the department revealed, "Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume."

Two additional claims were submitted by the suspects with other insurance companies. Each of the claims involved two vehicles, a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350, which the suspects claimed were also ransacked by a bear.

A biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reviewed the video footage submitted by the suspects and determined that it was "clearly a human in a bear suit." As a result of the fraudulent claims, the insurance companies involved lost almost $142,000 collectively.

The California Highway Patrol and the Glendale Police Department are assisting the Department of Insurance with the case. The suspects' court dates are currently pending and have not yet been publicly listed.

Four people were arrested in California this week after claiming a bear caused irreparable damage to their cars, but really, it was a person wearing a bear costume.

The four suspects informed the insurance company that a bear had caused extensive damage to the interior of their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost in January.

They even provided video footage as evidence. However, the department revealed, "Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume."

A biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reviewed the video footage submitted by the suspects and determined that it was "clearly a human in a bear suit."

The department began its investigation earlier this year after an insurance company reported the suspected fraud.

The California Highway Patrol and the Glendale Police Department are assisting the Department of Insurance with the case.

As a result of the fraudulent claims, the insurance companies involved lost almost $142,000 collectively.

The suspects' court dates are currently pending and have not yet been publicly listed.

What are your thoughts on this case? It's certainly not every day you hear about a person in a bear costume tearing up expensive cars!

The fact that someone even came up with the idea is wild. After all, imagine if they had gotten away with it - it could have been genius.

But alas, these four fraudsters will need to pay the price for their dishonesty. Hopefully, they will each learn a valuable lesson from the experience.

We would love to hear your opinions on this story. You can share your thoughts with us in the comment section.

Stephanie