‘Unbelievable’ fraudsters in bear costumes caught making an attempt to faux harm to a Rolls-Royce
People have been jailed after allegedly using a bear suit to fake “wild animal” damage to a £320,000 Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes, as UK insurers warn AI is fuelling a surge in “digital” fraud
People allegedly staged a bizarre insurance claim using a bear costume to fake damage to luxury cars(Image: CA Dept of Insurance)
Three people have been sentenced after they allegedly staged a bizarre insurance claim using a bear costume to fake damage to luxury cars. The alleged culprits, from the Glendale area, California, USA, ignited suspicions from authorities two years ago.
The California Department of Insurance reportedly said it opened an investigation in 2024 when an insurer flagged a suspicious report. According to the report, a Rolls-Royce Ghost had been wrecked after a bear supposedly climbed into the vehicle.
Moreover, grainy CCTV appeared to show an animal inside the car, and submitted photographs showed scratches to the interior of a model that can cost more than $400,000 new (about £320,000).
Nevertheless, investigators reportedly said the evidence did not add up. The footage was consequently sent to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, who “concluded the animal shown was clearly a human in a bear suit”, according to the department’s release.
Detectives later linked the alleged stunt to similar claims involving two Mercedes vehicles, officials said. Following searches of the suspects’ homes, investigators said they recovered a bear outfit, including a prop described as a stainless-steel “meat shredder” claw, allegedly used to imitate attack marks, SFGate reported.
As a result, four people were arrested in 2024, with three sentenced this week. They were: Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, received 180 days in jail and was ordered to pay $55,360 (about £44,000) in restitution; Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale, was also sentenced to 180 days in jail and ordered to pay $52,268 (about £41,500) in restitution; while Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale, was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with restitution still to be determined.
A fourth defendant is due back in court in September for a hearing, according to SFGate. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said: “What may have looked unbelievable turned out to be exactly that, and now those responsible are being held accountable. My Department’s investigators uncovered the facts, exposed this scam, and helped bring these defendants to justice.
“Insurance fraud is a serious crime that drives up costs for consumers, and no scheme is too outrageous for us to investigate.” In the UK, insurers are reportedly facing a sharp rise in increasingly elaborate frauds, with criminals now using artificial intelligence (AI) to create convincing “digital” evidence.
The BBC has reported that AI tools are being used to manipulate images of luxury cars and high-value items to invent damage that never happened.
Alongside the high-tech claims, investigators continue to see “hands-on” staged incidents.
The Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) has prosecuted staged motor scams ranging from a £100,000 Aston Martin crash plot in 2024 to 2025 “crash for cash” moped schemes, with City of London Police identifying more than 1,100 suspicious policies in early 2025.
Furthermore, the Association of British Insurers (ABI), has reportedly detected insurance fraud hit a record £1.16 billion in 2024 (up 2%), driven largely by motor scams worth £576 million, and has warned about “ghost broking” fake policies sold on social media.
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