‘You can’t make this up’: 4 California people made $141,839 pretending to be bear. Then a biologist ended their scam

In 2024, what started as an apparent attack on a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost led to the arrest of four people, one of whom, authorities say, dressed up as a bear while the others shot video footage of the supposed animal inside the car. Investigators discovered they had done it twice before, collecting $141,839 from insurance before they were caught.

According to the California Department of Insurance, the bizarre scheme involved Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, who submitted a claim that a bear had broken into a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost parked in Lake Arrowhead on Jan. 28, 2024, and damaged the interior. The group submitted video footage showing what appeared to be a bear climbing into the luxury vehicle and scratching the seats and doors.

But investigators quickly became suspicious after reviewing the footage more closely. Authorities said the animal’s movements and overall appearance seemed unusual, prompting a more thorough investigation that would later be dubbed “Operation Bear Claw.”

Two more “bear attacks” on Mercedes vehicles

During the investigation, detectives discovered the same group had filed two additional insurance claims on the same date and at the same location, but involving different vehicles: a 2015 Mercedes-AMG G63 and a 2022 Mercedes-Benz E350. Each claim included video footage showing a “bear” damaging the vehicles in similar ways. Insurance companies ultimately paid out claims totaling $141,839 before the fraud was uncovered.

The biologist who exposed the scam

To confirm their suspicions, investigators asked a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to review the videos. The expert concluded the animal seen in the footage was not a real bear, but a human wearing a bear costume.

The costume was a “brown bear” suit, a red flag for the biologist because Lake Arrowhead is home to Black Bears, which have different skeletal structures and movement patterns than the costume used.

Moreover, investigators noted that the “bear” in the video appeared to have a zipper and moved with human-like joints, which was the primary reason it was sent to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for review.

Investigators later determined the scratches inside the vehicles were made with hand-held metal meat shredders, often used for pulled pork, which were recovered during a search of the suspects’ home, along with the bear costume.

After obtaining a search warrant, detectives found the bear costume and tools used to damage the vehicles, leading to the arrests of the four suspects.

All four suspects were charged with multiple counts of insurance fraud and conspiracy, and the case is being prosecuted by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.

As of 2025, the defendants appeared in court for a preliminary hearing and were scheduled to reappear in court as the case continued through the legal system. At last report, the case was still moving through the court process. All four defendants pleaded not guilty.