The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) has warned potential students from signing up for online lessons from ABC Tutors and the Queensland-based Tutormaster. The director of both companies, Salvador Paje, is accused of taking payment from students, hiring students from local universities to teach them, and not paying for services rendered. The ASIC said that Paje had escaped to the Philippines, leaving behind a debt running into thousands of dollars. ZDNet Australia reports:

The company had maintained a presence offline as well as online, according to Greg Tanzer, ASIC executive director of consumer protection. "Parents and potential tutors should be wary about dealing with companies that trade exclusively online with little or no human contact," he added.