Four Los Angeles County residents were arrested Nov. 13 after state insurance investigators say they filmed themselves dressed up in a bear costume inside their luxury vehicles to collect fraudulent insurance claims.

Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, were charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy, according to the California Department of Insurance.

The investigation started after an insurance company sent the state department a video showing a bear supposedly attacking the inside of a 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost.

In the claim submitted Jan. 28 in Lake Arrowhead, investigators say the suspects sent video footage to their insurance company showing the alleged bear leaving scratches on the seats and interior door panels.

“Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume,” the department wrote in a news release Wednesday.

As the investigation continued, detectives discovered two more insurance claims filed with two different companies featuring video of the same “bear.”

The claims were for two different vehicles—a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG, and a 2022 Mercedes E350.

The suspects allegedly claimed the damage to those cars also happened on Jan. 28 at the same location and in the same manner, according to the insurance department.

Insurance investigators sought a second opinion about the bear in the videos and reached out to a biologist at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The wildlife expert also concluded it was “clearly a human in a bear suit,” according to the insurance department.

Investigators were able to get a search warrant and allegedly found the bear costume inside a suspect’s home, along with metal claws. The operation was dubbed “Operation Bear Claw.”

The insurance companies were defrauded of nearly $142,000 after paying the three claims, according to the insurance department.

Glendale police and the California Highway Patrol assisted in the investigation. The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.

Four suspects were arrested in Los Angeles County on Nov. 13, 2024, after insurance investigators say they allegedly wore a bear costume to damage their luxury vehicles and filed insurance claims. (California Department of Insurance)

Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, left, was one of three suspects arrested Nov. 13, 2024, by the California Department of Insurance for allegedly filing false insurance claims and pretending to be a bear to damage luxury vehicles. (California Department of Insurance)