Man jailed for helping Cambodia scam syndicate cheat Singapore victims of nearly S$656,800

Muhammad Firdaus Abdul Rahman, 37, has been sentenced to 60 months in prison for his involvement in a sophisticated scam syndicate operating out of Cambodia. The syndicate targeted individuals in Singapore, successfully defrauding at least 14 victims of approximately S$656,800 (US$516,900) through impersonation scams.

Firdaus pleaded guilty to charges of being part of an organized criminal group and assisting another in retaining benefits from criminal conduct. His sentence was further extended by 236 days because he re-offended during a remission period granted for a previous cheating conviction. This means he must serve the additional time on top of his original sentence.

Court documents reveal that Firdaus was approached by a friend, Jackson Lim Soon Lai, with an offer of a "scam job" in Cambodia. The proposal included a basic salary of S$1,000 plus a 3 percent commission. Aware of Lim's illegal activities, Firdaus accepted the offer and traveled to Cambodia in October 2024. There, he and others were briefed on scam call procedures, instructed to impersonate officials from the Singapore Cyber Emergency Response Team, and to direct victims to transfer funds.

While in Cambodia, Firdaus observed an office environment with approximately 60 individuals, including those conducting internet romance scams. After about a month of participating in the scam calls, Firdaus was hospitalized, with the syndicate covering his medical expenses. Upon his discharge, he returned to Singapore alone. However, his involvement continued as he provided Jackson with publicly available information about Singaporean law enforcement and financial authorities, which he knew would be used to facilitate further scams. He was later asked to collect and transfer money packages for a fee, further entangling him in the criminal enterprise.