Fake footage of bears being used to scam car insurance companies

According to a recent This is reported in a press release from the California Department of Insurancethe suspects allegedly donned a bear suit to commit $141,839 in insurance fraud.

Operation “Bear Claw”.

The report names Los Angeles residents as suspects in insurance fraud claims filed as far back as Jan. 28, 2024, in the Lake Arrowhead area, where the suspects indicated a bear entered their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost and caused damage to the vehicle’s interior.

Suspicion grew as two additional similar insurance claims were filed with two different insurance companies for damage to a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350.

According to the report:

“Four Los Angeles residents were arrested today after an Insurance Department investigation found the suspects allegedly committed insurance fraud by claiming a bear had damaged their cars when it was actually a person in a bear suit. Ruben Tamrazyan, 26, of Glendale, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, Vahe Muradkhanian, 32, of Glendale, and Alfia Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, were arrested on charges of insurance fraud and conspiracy. An arrest warrant has been issued for the fifth suspect, who has not yet been identified.”

The claims and footage provided by the claimants were so strange that a wildlife biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife was asked to review three alleged videos of the bear, to which he told them their suspicions were correct—it was clearly a human. bear costume

The false allegations regarding the bear were further confirmed when, “after executing a search warrant, detectives found bear costume in the house of one suspect”.

Here’s an NBC-LA Channel 4 news story covering the incident with video footage of the fake bear in action:

How the suspects were arrested in a fake attack on a bear

For a better video, here is the link the purest proof in the case used against the plaintiffs.

For more crime-related newshere are three for your consideration:

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter from Cincinnati who currently researches and works on restoring old cars with engine modifications to improve performance. It also covers modern cars (including electric cars), focusing on DIY techniques, buying and using tools, and other up-to-the-minute car repair news. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites and also on Facebook and his car blog “Zen and the art of DIY car repair» for useful daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

Image source: Deposit Photos