Bearing the weight of their bizarre antics, four residents from the Los Angeles area found themselves ensnared in the clutches of law enforcement for their audacious plot involving not just vehicles, but also furry disguises. Ruben Tamrazian, 26, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, were arrested this week after being accused of staging car damage claims by pretending to be attacked by bears. Yes, you read it right—a bear costume was at the center of this elaborate insurance fraud scheme.
The California Department of Insurance announced the arrests and declared the operation, aptly named “Operation Bear Claw,” which began earlier this year when one of the suspect’s claims raised red flags for their insurance company. It all went down on January 28, 2024, when the group purportedly claimed their luxurious 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost had been invaded by, you guessed it, a bear. They insisted the elusive creature had caused interior damage to the vehicle.
To bolster their story, they even provided video footage, which was presumably meant to serve as undeniable proof of the bear's rampage. This footage, showcased wild scenes of what appeared to be the “bear” rummaging around inside the luxury car. But as it turned out, those wild antics might have just been the worst costume party of the year.
Upon receiving the footage, the insurance adjusters had their suspicions and decided to take another look. Their instincts told them something was off. Further scrutiny led them to conclude the furry menace was, shockingly, nothing more than a person clad head to toe in bear attire. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife was called to weigh in, and they confirmed what many already suspected: "It was clearly a human in a bear suit," said the department.
The investigation didn’t stop there. After catching wind of how absurd things were getting, detectives realized this wasn’t just one isolated incident. They discovered two additional insurance claims made by the same suspects on the same day and at the same Lake Arrowhead location. Each of these claims involved different vehicles—a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350—also damaged by what the suspects claimed were bear attacks.
From what can be speculated, it seems it wasn’t enough to target just one luxury vehicle. No, they decided to go for broke by filing multiple insurance claims, trying to cash out big by playing the bear attack card each time. Videos from these later claims, much like the first, showed what appeared to be yet another human bear hybrid wrecking havoc on expensive cars.
When detectives executed search warrants at the suspects’ homes, their wildest suspicions were proven right—physical evidence of the far-fetched claims was discovered. They found the bear costume complete with its furry head and claw-like embellishments. It's one thing to steal from insurance companies. It’s another thing entirely when you choose a bear suit as your weapon of choice.
This ruse had big financial repercussions. According to the Department of Insurance, the alleged scam resulted in the use of fraudulent insurance payouts of $141,839 from various insurance companies coerced by the over-the-top claims. Initially, the department had thought there was no way such claims could merely be the result of typical bear activity, especially with the evidence pointing toward human involvement.
One can only muse about the creativity—or lack thereof—shown by the suspects. After all, many people go through great lengths to fabricate alibis or excuses, but it’s not every day you encounter individuals going to the extent of dressing up like bears to dupe insurers. What were these individuals thinking as they embarked on this circus of confusion? Were they expecting to smash records for the most ridiculous crime of the year?
This isn’t the first time California has seen dramatic cases of insurance fraud, but Operation Bear Claw's unique twist certainly sets it apart from your run-of-the-mill tales of deception. The district attorney's office will handle the case, leaving communities pondering what consequences await the suspects for perpetuating such wild schemes. Each individual has been charged with conspiracy and insurance fraud, and the legal proceedings will determine their fate going forward, raising questions about accountability and the ethical boundaries of fraud.
One thing is known; dressing as bears may not be the best way to settle things with insurance companies—or to achieve any sort of financial gain. Those involved will now have to face the repercussions of their creative schemes, and perhaps learn the hard way: sometimes, it’s best to leave the bears to the wildlife and the insurance claims to the honest folks.
