Four Face Insurance Fraud Charges After Blaming ‘Bear’ in Costume for Car Damage

LOS ANGELES, CA — Four individuals in Los Angeles were charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy after allegedly attempting to claim that a “bear” damaged their luxury cars — though investigators later determined the bear was, in fact, a person in a costume.

The California Department of Insurance reported that the scheme involved filing a series of fraudulent claims, one of which alleged that a bear had caused extensive damage to a 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost in Lake Arrowhead. The suspects even provided a video purportedly showing the animal inside the vehicle.

However, upon investigation, officials determined the “bear” was a human in a bear costume. A biologist with the California Department of Wildlife reviewed the footage and confirmed the animal in question was clearly a person in a suit. Investigators later found the costume in the suspects’ possession.

Authorities discovered two additional claims tied to different insurance companies involving vehicles, a 2015 Mercedes and a 2022 Mercedes, reported as damaged on the same date and at the same location.

The fraud scheme is estimated to have cost insurance companies $141,839. The suspects — Ruben Tamrazian, 26; Ararat Chirkian, 39; Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, all from Glendale; and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village — face multiple charges related to the false claims.