A 35-year-old Filipino woman who travelled to Cambodia believing she had secured an overseas job was sentenced to 25 months in jail in Singapore on Monday after being convicted of participating in an organised scam syndicate targeting victims in the city-state.
De Villar Rizalyn Panganiban was found guilty of being a member of an organised criminal group and conspiring to cheat people in Singapore. Principal District Judge Thian Yee Sze ruled that prosecutors had established the charges and rejected the defence’s argument that De Villar had been coerced into participating in the syndicate’s activities.
The case highlights the increasingly transnational nature of scam operations in Southeast Asia, where criminal networks have established compounds and call centres in countries including Cambodia and recruited workers from across the region to conduct fraud against victims in other jurisdictions.
De Villar was among 12 people charged in September last year after the Singapore Police Force and Cambodian National Police carried out a joint cross-border operation that disrupted the syndicate. Several Singaporeans and Malaysians were also charged in connection with the group.
Her case was the first among those accused to proceed to trial.
According to the evidence presented in court, De Villar travelled to Cambodia in late March 2025 after a friend offered her a job overseas with a promised salary of about US$1,500.
She travelled through Malaysia before arriving in Cambodia. Once there, however, her passport was taken from her and she was transported to a call centre compound, where she was given a script and trained for the work.
The defence portrayed De Villar as an inexperienced woman who had been deceived about the nature of the job and subsequently found herself in an unfamiliar environment from which she had limited means of escape.
Her lawyers, Chooi Jing Yen and Claire Chong of the Chooi Jing Yen law firm, represented her under Singapore’s Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.
The defence also questioned whether De Villar understood that the operation was specifically targeting people in Singapore.
Her lawyers pointed to her statements that she had never previously travelled outside the Philippines and that she did not know where Singapore was located. At one point, she said she believed Singapore was in China.
The defence sought to use this evidence to challenge the prosecution’s case that De Villar knowingly participated in a conspiracy to cheat victims in Singapore.
But Deputy Public Prosecutors Suhas Malhotra and Yeo Kee Hwan presented evidence that De Villar was aware that Singapore was the target of the operation.
The prosecution pointed to references to Singapore addresses and Singapore currency in the materials used by the group. De Villar was also exposed to references to Singaporean institutions, including the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
She was instructed to speak with a Singapore English accent, prosecutors said, further indicating that she understood the intended target of the operation.
Judge Thian said the prosecution did not have to prove that De Villar possessed a detailed understanding of Singapore’s geography, political status or other characteristics.
For the relevant criminal charge, the judge said it was enough to establish that De Villar understood Singapore to be a specific locality or place where criminal activity was being conducted or intended to be conducted.
“Even if her mental map was hazy,” the judge said, ignorance about Singapore’s exact location did not prevent a finding that she knew it was a particular place being targeted by the syndicate.
The judge concluded that the evidence demonstrated that De Villar understood Singapore to be the location where the group’s criminal activities were directed.
A central issue during the trial was whether De Villar was actually a member of the organised criminal group or merely someone who had been brought to the compound and was present there.
The defence argued that simply being at the scam centre was insufficient to establish membership.
Her lawyers noted that De Villar had not passed a test associated with the syndicate’s operations and had not been shown to have performed some activities that might ordinarily demonstrate membership, such as recruiting new workers.
They also argued that her involvement lasted for less than a month.
The prosecution, however, said De Villar had undergone training, received money and participated in activities associated with the syndicate.
Judge Thian accepted the prosecution’s position, finding that the evidence demonstrated De Villar’s membership in the group.
Although her passport had been taken from her, the judge found that she retained a significant degree of freedom.
De Villar had her mobile phone and, according to the court, could have attempted to leave the premises or sought assistance.
The judge acknowledged that there were restrictions on what De Villar could do while in Phnom Penh but concluded that those restrictions did not amount to coercion or force sufficient to excuse her criminal conduct.
“While she did not pass the test, she did take part in what was assigned to her at the compound,” the court found, including undergoing training and participating in a chat group.
The judge also addressed questions about the identities of De Villar’s alleged co-conspirators.
Although the defence raised concerns that the prosecution had not clearly established every person involved, Judge Thian noted that De Villar herself had described other individuals who provided training and funds.
That evidence was sufficient to establish that she was not acting alone and that other people were involved in the criminal enterprise.
The prosecution sought a sentence of at least 27 months in prison, arguing that the syndicate was sophisticated, organised and highly successful.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Yeo said that within approximately one year of operation, the syndicate was linked to at least 528 reported scam cases in Singapore, involving losses of approximately S$52.5 million, or about US$41.3 million.
The figure illustrated the scale of the criminal enterprise and the damage caused to victims, prosecutors argued.
Government-official impersonation scams, such as those allegedly conducted by the syndicate, are among the most financially damaging forms of fraud in Singapore.
Yeo described such scams as the country’s most lucrative scam category, with investment scams ranking higher in terms of total losses.
The prosecution argued that the scale and sophistication of the operation warranted a significant custodial sentence, even though De Villar’s involvement was relatively short.
The defence sought a substantially lower sentence of no more than 15 months.
Chooi argued that the full S$52.5 million loss figure should not be attributed to De Villar because she was involved with the syndicate for less than a month and had no role in the group’s entire year-long operation.
He also challenged the prosecution’s reliance on the total loss figure, describing it as “nothing more than hearsay” based on the account of an investigating officer.
The lawyer emphasised De Villar’s limited role, arguing that she had not been a major organiser or recruiter.
“She did nothing other than be in the scam centre,” Chooi argued.
He also sought a sentencing reduction based on her cooperation with authorities.
The court nevertheless found that her participation was sufficient to attract criminal liability.
De Villar’s conviction comes amid continuing concerns in Southeast Asia over scam compounds that operate across national borders.
Such networks often recruit workers with promises of legitimate employment before moving them into call centres or other facilities where they are instructed to conduct fraudulent activities. Their operations can involve multiple nationalities, jurisdictions, bank accounts and communication platforms, complicating investigations by individual law-enforcement agencies.
The Singapore-Cambodia operation that led to De Villar’s arrest illustrates the importance of international police cooperation in tackling such networks.
Singaporean authorities have repeatedly warned that criminal syndicates are becoming more sophisticated in impersonating government officials, financial institutions and other trusted organisations.
Official-impersonation scams are particularly effective because fraudsters often create a sense of urgency and authority, persuading victims that their bank accounts, identities or finances are connected to an investigation.
The resulting losses can be substantial, with victims sometimes transferring large amounts of money after being convinced that they are complying with instructions from legitimate authorities.
For De Villar, the court ultimately rejected the argument that her unfamiliarity with Singapore or her limited understanding of the operation prevented her from being held responsible.
Judge Thian’s ruling placed emphasis not only on what De Villar knew about Singapore but also on her conduct after arriving at the compound.
The court found that she had participated in training, joined a group chat and carried out activities assigned to her. It also found that, despite having her passport taken, she retained opportunities to seek help or leave.
De Villar was therefore sentenced to 25 months’ imprisonment.
For membership in an organised criminal group, she faced a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to S$100,000, or both.
The charge of conspiracy to cheat carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine.
Her conviction represents the first trial arising from the group disrupted in the Singapore-Cambodia operation and could provide a significant indication of how Singapore courts assess the responsibility of lower-level participants recruited into overseas scam compounds.
