ONE common complaint that surfaced in some of the police reports was that Harriet Educational Group included inaccurate information in newspaper advertisements.

An ad in July, for instance, featured agents saying they earned between $10,000 and $30,000 a month. Their full names, photographs and contact numbers were listed as well.

According to the agents who lodged the police reports, a casual chat with the featured agents had revealed that they were not making that much.

In fact, one of those highlighted in an ad made a police report complaining that the stated earnings were untrue.

After The Straits Times spoke to Harriet chief executive James Chua last Tuesday, the ad that appeared the next day was slightly different.

The school's name, Harriet Educational Group, appeared nowhere in the advertisement.

Instead, organisations like 'Millionaire Club' and 'International Association of Professional Managers' were listed. A check showed that these organisations were owned by Mr Chua or Harriet.

There was also a new disclaimer in Wednesday's ad: 'Estimate (of) potential earnings are for illustration purposes only. We make no guarantee on your success or income level.'

When contacted last Tuesday, Mr Chua would only say: 'All testimonies used in advertisements are factual.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on September 15, 2008.

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