They dressed like a bear and damaged a Rolls-Royce in an audacious insurance scheme - BERITAJA

“Operation Bear Claw” was decidedly a caller benignant of security fraud case.

The target: a Rolls-Royce and 2 Mercedes-Benzes.

The weapon: a carnivore suit and nutrient claws.

A Southern California female and 2 men, who pleaded nary title this week successful a strategy to rip disconnected security companies by putting connected a carnivore costume and staging clone attacks connected luxury vehicles, person been sentenced to jailhouse time.

The scam was strictly small-time. Insurance companies mislaid a full of $141,839. But authorities said it represented a highly different return connected car security fraud that was uncovered only erstwhile an interrogator from 1 of the security companies took a observant look astatine surveillance video of 1 of the orchestrated attacks.

“It’s decidedly retired of the ordinary,” said Capt. Eric Hood, a 20-year seasoned pinch the California Department of Insurance who led the probe, successful an question and reply pinch The Times connected Friday. “I don’t deliberation we saw thing to that grade successful the past wherever they sewage a carnivore suit. It’s decidedly unique.”

Auto security fraud is simply a costly yet communal problem crossed the state that’s progressively starring to higher premiums for consumers, experts say. Fraud about often takes the shape of staged crashes, arson and group lying to get car insurance. But this lawsuit was thing else.

A carnivore suit, complete pinch claws, is portion of the grounds that has been utilized to convict 3 individuals for staged “bear” attacks connected luxury cars for security payouts.

(California Department of Insurance)

“What whitethorn person looked unbelievable turned retired to beryllium precisely that — and now those responsible are being held accountable,” authorities Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said successful a statement.

The state’s investigation into the bizarre strategy started successful 2024 aft the group claimed a carnivore entered their 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, which retails for $245,000 new, successful Lake Arrowhead and scratched up the wrong of the car. In an effort to bolster their story, they moreover submitted a video of the incident — but it yet would beryllium their undoing, authorities said.

Video of the onslaught released by the Department of Insurance shows what appears to be, to the casual observer, astatine least, a personification successful a brownish carnivore costume entering a car and rummaging about and pawing astatine the inside. The video includes photos of superficial scratches connected the vehicle’s costly leather seats and doorway panel.

But erstwhile an security institution claims interrogator reviewed the video footage, they noticed thing odd. Aside from the truth that location hasn’t been a existent brownish bear, aliases California grizzly, successful the Golden State since successful the 1920s, the measurement the ferocious — albeit somewhat skinny — beast was moving looked little ursine and much human.

Detectives enlisted thief from a California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist to reappraisal the video, and they agreed it was intelligibly a quality successful a carnivore suit.

Through their investigation, authorities discovered the individuals made 2 further security claims — 1 for a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and different for a 2022 Mercedes E350 — pinch abstracted companies. All 3 of the claims, which authorities allege were fraudulent, had the aforesaid day of nonaccomplishment and the aforesaid location. And each included very akin videos.

Two of the companies fell for the ruse, officials said.

Bristol West paid retired $52,268 to the group and an further $34,000 to salary disconnected a indebtedness connected 1 of the cars. Progressive shelled retired $55,920 for different claim.

The 3rd claim, revenge to State Farm, was denied aft the institution reviewed the footage, Hood said.

“Something for illustration this wouldn’t usually get paid,” Hood said. “Sometimes, security companies are conscionable trying to salary it retired quickly and whitethorn not person facts organized and haven’t looked that thoroughly.”

In November 2024, detectives executed a hunt and apprehension warrant astatine the defendants’ location and discovered a head-to-claw carnivore costume and nutrient shredders they opportunity were utilized successful the scheme.

On the surface, the thought that moreover 2 companies believed these incidents progressive existent bears whitethorn look far-fetched, but experts opportunity there’s reasons a declare for illustration this could gaffe done the cracks.

Insurance companies are wary of bad religion lawsuits that originate erstwhile they contradict claims, truthful they’ll often salary them retired conscionable to debar ineligible problems, said Harry Kazakian, a licensed backstage interrogator and independent claims adjuster. And scammers cognize precisely what to harm to get a payout, he said.

In this case, pinch harm to the interior of the car, security companies won’t conscionable salary to repair the upholstery, they will salary to switch the full seat, which is expensive. So those looking to make a speedy subordinate will declare harm to a spot and, alternatively of having the security institution salary a assemblage shop to repair it, the insured will “cash out” connected the declare and support the money, Kazakian said.

“The security institution doesn’t person to inspect the conveyance to make judge it’s been repaired. So they’ll conscionable rate retired and past move on,” he said.

Even then, this was the weirdest lawsuit he’d ever heard of successful his career.

“If you look carefully, here’s a carnivore that’s capable to unlock the conveyance doorway and unfastened the doorway for illustration a quality and get in,” he said. “And, of course, the markings connected the conveyance arsenic carnivore claws being asymmetrical, I think, is what caught the company’s attention.”

Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village and Ruben Tamrazian, 26, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, and Ararat Chirkinian, 39, each of Glendale, were charged pinch aggregate felonies including aggravated white-collar crime, presenting a mendacious security declare and destroying insured property. They initially pleaded not blameworthy to each counts, according to San Bernardino Superior Court records.

This month, Zuckerman, Tamrazian and Muradkhanyan pleaded nary title to felony security fraud successful a plea bargain pinch prosecutors and were sentenced to 180 days successful jailhouse and supervised probation, according to tribunal records.

All 3 are permitted to service their clip done a play jailhouse program. Zuckerman was ordered to salary $55,360 successful restitution and Tamrazian will person to salary $52,268. A restitution magnitude hasn’t been wished for Muradkhanyan, according to the California Department of Insurance.

Chirkinian is scheduled to return to tribunal successful September for a preliminary hearing. An lawyer representing Chirkinian successful the lawsuit did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Brian Darr, a elder forensic technologist for Quality Forensics who has been investigating security claims for much than 16 years, said it’s often not that difficult to find whether a declare is fraudulent.

Insurance companies do consistency evaluations that could thief guidelines retired fraud by determining whether the harm submitted is accordant pinch what you’d mostly expect from the incident.

“You’d look for thing that looks for illustration a carnivore claw mark,” he said. “If you’re seeing instrumentality marks, past you’d cognize this wasn’t really a bear.”