4 people arrested in Izmir Los Angeles On a fraud charge where they allegedly dressed up in bear costumes and faked a series of attacks to cash in on insurance claims.

The California Department of Insurance announced that Ruben Tamrazian, 26, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, were indicted on insurance fraud and conspiracy charges for allegedly defrauding insurance companies of $141,839. on wednesday.

The bizarre scheme allegedly involved someone dressing up as a bear, trashing three cars and then filing claims with three different insurance companies.

CDI said the investigation began after the suspects filed a claim alleging a bear broke into a 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost and damaged the interior on Jan. 28, 2024, in Lake Arrowhead.

As part of the claim, the suspects presented video footage of the alleged bear, as well as photographs of scratches on the seats and doors.

In the video published by the authorities, it is claimed that a person wearing a bear costume is seen inside the car.

After determining that the bear was actually a human in a costume, investigators found two additional insurance claims from two different insurance companies, CDI said.

The two claims were for the 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and the 2022 Mercedes E350; both involved the same suspects, on the same date and in the same location as the alleged incident.

A biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife was brought in to examine all three videos submitted as part of the allegations, and it was determined that the bear was a disguised human.

“It is very clear that it is a person in a bear costume,” CDI said.

Authorities found a bear costume after executing a search warrant at the suspect’s home.

Independent Contacted CDI for more information.