Fake Funa: Estafa raps set vs ‘insurance commissioner’

A man who allegedly posed as Insurance Commissioner Dennis Funa is facing estafa charges after duping a victim to the tune of P700,000.

The Makati City prosecutor’s office has recommended criminal charges to be filed against Jordan Alao Villanueva, a resident of Pasay City, the Insurance Commission (IC) said Thursday.

According to the IC, the complainant last year received a call from Villanueva, who claimed that he was Funa.

“Because of Villanueva’s intimate knowledge of the insurance agency, he was able to convince the victim that the latter was actually speaking with Commissioner Funa,” the IC said in a statement.

“According to the victim, Villanueva extorted a total of P700,000 which was deposited in a bank account under Villanueva’s name sometime in August 2017. The amount will allegedly be used by the fake Commissioner Funa for the purchase of a vehicle,” it added.

But the victim later found out from Funa himself that both the impostor’s number and bank account did not belong to the commissioner.

NBI confirmation

Based on the findings of the National Bureau of Investigation, which reviewed security camera videos provided by the bank, “it was confirmed that Mr. Villanueva withdrew P700,000 from the bank account under his name,” the commission said. “The NBI noted that the face of the person withdrawing … was very similar to the picture attached to the ‘know your customer’ documents submitted to the bank.”

The prosecutor’s office “found sufficient evidence to support the conclusion that Villanueva, being the owner of the bank account used to defraud the victim, committed estafa … (as) defined under Article 315 2(a) of the Revised Penal Code.”

Villanueva attended the preliminary investigation when summoned by the prosecutor’s office.

“The filing of the criminal case (was) a welcome development in seeking justice as well as preventing the further use of my name and of the Insurance Commission in fraudulent schemes,” Funa said. “We strongly condemn any illegal solicitation and raising of funds especially by those who use my name and that of the Insurance Commission.” —BEN O. DE VERA