Yathin S Krishnappa, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

by Debbie Burke

You’ve probably seen TV commercials that warn your auto insurance may not cover damage by wild animals.

Bear attacks on vehicles do happen. Here’s a news story from Colorado: 

In the video, I don’t know whether the humans’ actions to free the perpetrator should be considered “rescue” or “aiding and abetting a felon.”

Today’s true crime takes bear attacks to a whole ‘nother level: insurance fraud.

The hilarious Dave Barry sounded the alert on this case.

According to the California Department of Insurance, multiple insurance companies paid out more than $140K for damage supposedly caused by a bear to three different vehicles…on the same night, in the same Lake Arrowhead location.

What are the odds?

According to an April 2026 press release from the California Department of Insurance:

“The defendants used a person in a bear suit to stage fake attacks on high-end vehicles, then submitted fraudulent claims seeking payouts from insurance companies.”

Security cam video was provided to various insurers to support claims from three different vehicle owners of interior damage to a 2010 Rolls Royce, a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG, and a 2022 Mercedes E350 on the same night in January 2024.

Photo credit: California Dept. of Insurance

Investigators later became suspicious of the coincidence. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife determined the “bear” was actually a human in a bear suit. The furry costume and metal claws were found in the home of the suspects. The claws are cooking tools to shred barbecued meat.

Credit: California Department of Insurance

Hint: Real bears don’t leave neat, evenly spaced scratch marks.

Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale, and Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale each pleaded no contest and were sentenced to 180 days in jail (weekend jail time), two years supervised probation, and restitution. A fourth suspect, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, faces a preliminary hearing in September 2026.

TKZers: Comments on this furry fraud?