Three sentenced for ‘man in bear suit’ insurance scam

Three individuals were convicted in California for a fraudulent scheme involving a man in a bear costume. The plan relied on staged incidents where the fake attack on luxury vehicles was captured on video, which was then submitted to insurance companies as proof of damage.

The initial incident occurred on January 28, 2024, in Lake Arrowhead, with a video showing a bear damaging a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost. Similar claims were filed for two Mercedes-Benz models at the same time and location, sparking suspicion about the authenticity of the events.

Biologists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife analyzed the footage and confirmed it was a human wearing a bear suit. This discovery led to the launch of ‘Operation Bear Claw’ by the state insurance department, which culminated in a search of the suspects’ residence and the recovery of a bear costume.

The scheme defrauded insurers of $141,839 (£105,000) in payments. Alfiya Zuckerman (39), Ruben Tamrazian (26), and Vahe Muradkhanyan (32) admitted to felony insurance fraud and received sentences of 180 days in jail and two years of supervised probation.

“What may have looked unbelievable turned out to be exactly that – and now those responsible are being held accountable,” said state insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara.