A woman used edited PayNow screenshots to dupe two restaurants into delivering 59 meals worth more than $10,000 without paying.<\/p>\n
The 33-year-old Filipino national, Santos-Tumalip Maria<\/a>, was originally sentenced to 21 months and eight weeks\u2019 jail.<\/p>\n According to a Shin Min Daily News report<\/a>, she appealed her sentence with the help of a lawyer who represented her pro bono \u2014 and her jail term was reduced by 10 months.<\/p>\n She was sentenced to 11 months and eight weeks\u2019 jail on Aug 28.<\/p>\n Maria faced seven charges including cheating, theft, fraud and obstructing the course of justice. She had pleaded guilty to four charges, with the remaining charges taken into consideration for sentencing.<\/p>\n Maria began ordering from seafood restaurant Crab House\u2019s website in the Joo Chiat area from May 2022.<\/p>\n She would first transfer the payment to her own account via PayNow and take a screenshot of the transaction.<\/p>\n Then, she used photo-editing software<\/a> to change the recipient\u2019s name to that of the restaurant and subsequently sent the fake payment confirmation to the restaurant<\/a> via WhatsApp.<\/p>\n Using this method, Maria made 35 fraudulent orders between May 2022 and August 2023, receiving meals worth a total of $3,891.75 without paying.<\/p>\n She later used the same trick on Italian restaurant Baci Baci.<\/p>\n Between June 15, 2024 and May 28, 2025, she made 24 fraudulent orders, obtaining food worth $6,167.52.<\/p>\n That means she managed to get 59 meals worth a combined $10,059.27 from both restaurants.<\/p>\n Maria appealed her original sentence at the High Court on Friday, represented pro bono by Sujesh Anandan, son of prominent lawyer Subhas Anandan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sujesh argued that the original sentence was too harsh, pointing to previous cases involving higher amounts or more instances of cheating that had received lighter sentences.<\/p>\n He proposed a seven-month jail term for the cheating charge.<\/p>\n The prosecution objected, arguing that seven months was too low and that the original sentence should stand.<\/p>\n High Court Judge Kanangaram Ramesh said previous cases showed that the imprisonment term for the amount involved in Maria\u2019s case would generally range from three to six months.<\/p>\n However, the judge noted that Maria\u2019s method of cheating was simple and that she had not gone to lengths to conceal her identity.<\/p>\n At the same time, she had committed further offences while on bail, which warranted a significant sentence.<\/p>\n The judge eventually allowed the appeal and reduced the sentence for the cheating charge from 18 months to eight months.<\/p>\n Her total jail term was therefore reduced from 21 months and eight weeks to 11 months and eight weeks.<\/p>\n Maria and her sister, who was in court to support her, cried tears of joy after hearing the decision.<\/p>\n She repeatedly thanked her lawyer after the hearing.<\/p>\n Maria was pregnant while the case was being investigated and was granted permission to return to the Philippines to give birth in 2023.<\/p>\n She delivered her baby in January 2024, returning to Singapore with her newborn shortly after giving birth to continue with investigations.<\/p>\n Sujesh also told the court that Maria had since made full restitution and demonstrated genuine remorse.<\/p>\n He added that she had cooperated with investigators.<\/p>\n Maria has been remanded since Sept 8, 2025, and has been separated from her infant child for several months.<\/p>\n The defence asked the court to take her circumstances into consideration and allow her to return home to reunite with her child as soon as possible.<\/p>\n Have something to say? Join in!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Explore more on these topics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n See something interesting? Contribute<\/a> your story to us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFaked PayNow screenshots to get free food<\/h2>\n
Cried tears of joy when sentence successfully reduced<\/h2>\n
Allowed to return home to give birth<\/h2>\n
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