Details of Cambodia scam centre targeting Singapore victims emerge at woman’s trial
De Villar Rizalyn Panganiban, a Filipina, is accused of being part of a scam syndicate that targeted victims in Singapore through a three-level scheme that tricked them into thinking their bank accounts had been compromised.
An operation conducted in Cambodia. (Photo: Singapore Police Force)
New: You can now listen to articles.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
SINGAPORE: Details of how a Cambodia-based scam syndicate allegedly targeted victims in Singapore through a three-level scheme emerged in court on Wednesday (Jun 3), as a woman went on trial over her alleged participation in the operation.
De Villar Rizalyn Panganiban, 35, a Filipina, allegedly belonged to a criminal group that carried out government official impersonation scams, in which victims were tricked into believing their bank accounts had been compromised before being persuaded to transfer money to accounts controlled by scammers.
She was among the 12 people charged in September last year after the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Cambodian National Police disrupted the syndicate in a cross-border operation.
SPF said then that the group is believed to be behind at least 330 reported cases involving losses of over S$40 million (US$31 million). Apart from De Villar, nine Singaporeans and three Malaysians were charged.
De Villar claimed trial to two charges, one for being a member of a locally-linked organised criminal group, and the other for conspiring with others in the group to cheat. She is represented by lawyer Chooi Jing Yen of his eponymous law firm.
According to court documents setting out facts which both sides agree to, De Villar had been approached by a woman to take a job in Cambodia in March 2025. She thought that she would be working for an online gambling company as an office staff member, with a monthly salary of US$1,500.
Court documents did not specify where De Villar was located when offered the job.
She arrived in Phnom Penh on Mar 29, 2025, and was taken to a call centre run by the group.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Suhas Malhotra and Yeo Kee Hwan said that on the first day De Villar arrived in Cambodia, she underwent training to become a caller and was given a script to memorise.
She allegedly memorised this script so well that she was able to write it out word for word when an investigation officer interviewed her some months later in September 2025.
The prosecution argued that De Villar was a willing participant in the operation and not a victim of human trafficking or deception. It then called an investigation officer to the stand to give evidence on De Villar’s statements.
The officer testified that, according to De Villar’s statements, she was also given a list of questions that potential victims might ask during the calls.
THREE LINES OF CALLERS
The prosecution set out how the scam syndicate operated through three “lines” of callers, known as line one, line two and line three.
Line one callers allegedly posed as Singapore bank officers and cold-called large numbers of victims.
They tricked victims into believing their credit cards or bank accounts had been compromised and urged them to lodge a report with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Victims were then transferred to line two callers, who posed as MAS officers who filed fake police reports on their behalf.
Victims who continued to believe the deception would be transferred to line three callers, who pretended to be Singapore law enforcement officers.
These callers deceived victims into believing that they were required to transfer their funds into a “safe” bank account to allow law enforcement to investigate their compromised credit card or bank account. The bank accounts were actually under the criminal group’s control.
On Mar 30, 2025, De Villar was added to a Telegram group chat through which supervisors kept track of how calls were transferred between the lines – also referred to as “passed bills”.
According to evidence from her statements, the daily amount scammed from victims ranged from S$20,000 to S$60,000.
TWO CHOICES OF SALARY PACKAGE
De Villar was allegedly training to be a line one caller.
According to the prosecution, De Villar could choose between two salary packages: A base pay of US$1,500 with 3 per cent commission, or 8 per cent commission with no base pay.
She was told that her commission “came from the money (she) had to steal from the customers”, the prosecution stated. De Villar claimed in her statements that she did not clarify what “steal” meant.
During her training, De Villar was told by a trainer that she had a “strong Filipino accent” and the trainer wanted her to “change a bit towards Singaporean English”, the investigation officer testified. De Villar also role played to prepare her for the job.
As part of the training, De Villar visited a line one operation centre where multiple callers were at work.
Her suspicions that the facility was being used as a scam centre grew when she noticed callers pretending to type on disconnected and broken keyboards that had been split into smaller portions for individual use.
By Apr 2, 2025, she suspected she was working in a scam centre and discussed this with a friend who had travelled with her from the Philippines, prosecutors said.
Despite that, the pair decided to stay because they wanted “to earn the good money”, the prosecution said, quoting evidence from one of De Villar’s statements.
De Villar also mentioned in statements that she would not have been able to earn the same amount in the Philippines.
On Apr 7, 2025, De Villar took a test to be a line one caller and then chose the salary package that was commission only.
ACCUSED FREE TO LEAVE PREMISES: PROSECUTION
She stayed at the Cambodia call centre between Mar 29 and Apr 24, 2025, and was given accommodation and meals. The prosecution said the accused had her mobile phone throughout her stay, access to the internet and was free to leave the premises.
In her statement, De Villar mentioned she had “all the freedom while staying there” with “no restriction or curfew”.
Quoting details from De Villar’s statements, the prosecution said De Villar went out for meals and was even treated to nail extensions at a salon by a group member who had earned US$7,000 in commissions.
De Villar left Cambodia on Apr 24, 2025, for Vientiane, Laos to go to a scam centre there and stayed there until early June.
The prosecution alleged that De Villar made scam calls and sent scam emails at the behest of the group operating the Laos call centre.
“This is further evidence that De Villar was participating in the group’s activities voluntarily. She was not a captive seeking escape – she was willing to travel to another country and work at another scam centre at the group’s recommendation,” the prosecution argued.
Before she left, De Villar allegedly received US$1,000 and S$300.
The trial will continue on Thursday with the defence expected to make its case.
If convicted of being a member of a organised criminal group who commits an offence, De Villar could be jailed for up to five years, or fined up to S$100,000, or both.
If convicted of cheating, she could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.
Source: CNA/wt
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
About The Author
