STOMPer Janet thinks parents and students should check if a tuition agency is registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority Singapore (ACRA) and has an official Registry of Companies and Businesses (RCB) number.

Said the STOMPer:

"With regards to the frequent number of fraudulent, problematic tuition agencies that are in the news lately, I would like to emphasize that potential tutors and students have to be on alert to keep a look-out for unregistered tuition agencies in Singapore.

"In the event that a problem arises, tuition agencies will be held responsible and not just escape irresponsibly.

"For the interest of the general public, I would like to inform parents, students and tutors to ensure that the tuition agencies, which they are applying, are registered with ACRA, bearing the company RCB number in their websites or advertisements.

"With the rampage of unregistered tuition agencies, without bearing the company RCB number, it will difficult for parents, students and tutors to trace back to the business owners, when a problem arises!

"It is also unfair to the rest of the Singaporeans who are paying legal taxes, while unscrupulous tuition agencies do not have to register for a RCB number and thus have the ability to escape the radar of IRAS and ACRA.

"With this, I hope that parents, students and tutors will invest some time to check up on the agencies' ACRA registration status, terms and conditions, FAQ, etc , rather than regret later.

"Education is important to the upbringing of a child and should not be used as a financial tool for unscrupulous agencies to make money."