Singapore jails Filipino maid for aiding scam syndicate that targeted older women
The helper, Galvez Mary Joe Blanco, 36, pleaded guilty to one charge of transferring S$116,154.51 from her POSB account to a Kasikornbank account in May 2024, Channel News Asia reported.
She carried out the transfer as a favour to another maid, 57-year-old Filipino Maria Luz Suerte Lopez, who had been duped by a man she met on TikTok.
Maria had begun chatting daily with someone calling himself Alex Stillinger, who claimed to be a member of the United States Army and sought her help to receive money from supposed gold investments.
As Maria did not have a bank account, she asked Galvez to use hers, promising her a small token for each transaction.
Between May 15 and May 29 last year, a total of S$118,133 was transferred into Galvez's account, of which about S$116,000 was forwarded to a Thai account under the name 'Saichit Jeremiah'.
Investigators found that S$20,300 of the funds was directly linked to love scams involving two Singaporean women, aged 61 and 70.
The 70-year-old had been tricked into transferring S$108,500, though only a small portion passed through Galvez's account while the rest went elsewhere.
Galvez was arrested in October 2024 and handed over S$1,151.50 — what she earned from the arrangement — but no other money was recovered.
While the prosecution argued for up to six-and-a-half months' jail due to her role in facilitating scams, Galvez has appealed her sentence and remains out on bail pending the hearing.
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