The California Department of Insurance uncovered an insurance scam that has been dubbed, “Operation Bear Claw,” because the suspects allegedly wore a bear costume to commit insurance fraud.
Four suspects were arrested on Thursday, for a press releaseafter they claimed a bear had caused damage to their vehicles, “but it was actually a person in a bear suit”.
California Department of Insurance
According to the report, the suspects claimed a bear got into their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost in Lake Arrowhead in late January and caused interior damage. The group provided one video to their insurance company as evidence.
However, investigators noticed something odd when they found two additional insurance claims “with two different insurance companies, for suspects with the same date of loss and in the same location.”
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Those cars, a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350, had also allegedly was robbed by a bear. There was similar video footage offered as evidence.
After taking a closer look at the video, investigators determined there was no bear in either case — and it was a person in a bear suit. However, they wanted more evidence and brought in a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to review the three “bear” videos. The biologist noted that “it was clearly a man in a bear suit.”
Four California residents were arrested in an insurance fraud scheme after they claimed a bear damaged their vehicles — but video showed it was a person in a bear suit, according to the California Department of Insurance.
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Finally, the department noted that after executing a search warrant, detectives found him bear suit at the suspect's house.
Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, have all been charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy.
According to the report, the insurance companies were deceived from $141,839.
Related: The Chinese Zoo denies that the bear in the enclosure is really a man in a suit