De Villar Rizalyn Panganiban, a 35-year-old Filipina, is on trial for her alleged role in a Cambodia-based scam syndicate that impersonated government officials to defraud victims in Singapore. The syndicate persuaded victims to transfer money by falsely claiming their bank accounts were compromised, leading to losses exceeding S$40 million (about US$31 million) across at least 330 reported cases [1, 2].
De Villar arrived in Phnom Penh on March 29, 2025, expecting to work as an office staff member for an online gambling company. Instead, she was immediately trained to pose as a caller using a scripted scam to pressure victims to transfer funds [1, 3, 2]. She remained at the scam compound until April 24, 2025, before leaving for Laos [3].
In September 2025, De Villar was charged along with nine Singaporeans and three Malaysians after a joint operation by Singapore and Cambodian authorities disrupted the syndicate [1, 3, 2]. She faces two charges: membership in a locally linked organized criminal group and conspiracy to cheat [1, 2].
Prosecutors argue De Villar willingly participated in the scam and was not a victim of deception or human trafficking [1]. In contrast, her defence maintains she was deceived about the nature of the job, was not deployed as a scammer after failing a test, and wanted to return home but was unable to due to lack of passport and funds. Defence lawyer Chooi Jing Yen said, "Ms De Villar really just wanted to go home, but she couldn't," adding she is not being prosecuted for any actions after leaving Cambodia for Laos [3].
During the trial, the prosecution opened its case on June 3, 2026, detailing De Villar’s involvement, while the defence began their case on June 4, 2026, with De Villar testifying about her claims of deception [1, 3].
De Villar reportedly expected a monthly salary of US$1,500 from the job at the call centre where the syndicate operated [1].
The court is examining evidence from the period between March 29 and April 24, 2025, when De Villar was at the scam compound in Cambodia before departing for Laos [3].
