Parents of some high school graduates who failed to qualify for top universities this year, thanks to a company that charged them exorbitant fees for preparatory courses that failed to deliver, have been unable to track down the operation's owner, reports Beijing Star Daily.

The 211 Online Sci-Tech Co ran advertisements last July guaranteeing that students who paid 50,000 yuan (US$6,000) for its prep courses would gain entry to key universities in China, while 100,000 yuan (US$12,000) would ensure places at the prestigious Peking or Tsinghua universities.

About 100 student's parents paid for the programmes, as the company promised to refund all their money and even pay an additional compensation amount if the students did not make it into top universities. When the results of this year's National College Entrance Examinations came out last month, most of the students did not meet the expected scores promised in the contracts.

Angry parents who went to demand their money back from the company found later that the office had been occupied by another firm. And the owner's cellphone number was no longer in use.

Lawyers advised the parents to report the scam to police.

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