The Insurance Commission (IC) has issued a public warning regarding Benevolent Care Program Association Inc., highlighting serious concerns for consumers, particularly senior citizens. According to Insurance Commissioner Dennis B. Funa, Benevolent Care Program Association Inc., along with Golden Age Elderly Care Inc., are suspected to be “mere continuations” of previously shut down entities: Majar Senior Citizen Damayan Inc., Majar Insurance Agency, and Business Ventures Inc. These earlier companies faced cease-and-desist orders from the IC in 2015 and 2017 for illegally selling insurance and pre-need products without the necessary licenses.
The modus operandi of these shuttered companies involved enticing the public with promises of insurance coverage, healthcare services, and burial cash assistance in exchange for a membership fee. Despite the IC’s orders to cease operations, these entities allegedly continued their deceptive practices by rebranding and operating under different names, specifically as Golden Age Elderly Care Inc. and Benevolent Care Program Association.
Investigations conducted by the IC revealed that Golden Age and Benevolent Care were indeed established to circumvent the legal orders previously issued against Majar Damayan and Majar Insurance. The deception became evident when these new companies began collecting payments under fraudulent insurance contracts that were originally issued by the companies that had been shut down. Commissioner Funa emphasized that because the operations of these companies were illegal from their inception, they have no legal right to hold onto the money collected from their members. Furthermore, it was confirmed that neither Golden Age Elderly Care Inc. nor Benevolent Care Program Association possess the required licenses to operate from the Insurance Commission.
Commissioner Funa has firmly stated that these companies are legally obligated to return all collected funds to their victims, irrespective of whether individual members have formally filed claims for refunds. In a move to further address this serious issue, Funa has requested the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a thorough investigation and to file appropriate charges against those responsible for these fraudulent insurance schemes. The public, especially senior citizens, are urged to exercise extreme caution and vigilance when encountering offers from Benevolent Care Program Association Inc. and similar organizations offering insurance or pre-need products, and to verify the legitimacy of any such company with the Insurance Commission before engaging with them.
