Yip Chee Ming, 30, had pleaded guilty to one count of belonging to an organized crime syndicate, with a separate cheating charge taken into consideration, CNA reported.
The syndicate operated out of Phnom Penh and impersonated Singapore government officials to defraud Singaporeans. Between Sept. 3, 2024 and Sept. 5, 2025 it was tied to at least 528 reported cases and about S$52.5 million ($40.6 million) in losses.
That total included S$11.8 million ($9.1 million) taken from at least 90 elderly victims, The Straits Times reported. Its victims ranged in age from 26 to 84.
At the trial on June 26, Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan rejected the argument that Yip's failure as a scammer made him any less guilty. Yip had knowingly signed up for the money, understood the targets were Singaporeans, agreed to a salary and commission, and was handed the tools to defraud people.
He walked away not out of conscience but because, in the judge's words, he was "essentially fired because he could not confidently perform scam calls."
