When Juliana Vasquez arrived in Scotland from her home in Colombia three weeks ago to begin a nine-month English tuition course, she came with all the excitement of a 20-year-old away from home for the first time.

Making the 5000-mile journey from the capital, Bogota, was the first chance she had had for two years to see her older sister Laura, who had come to this country with her Scottish husband and settled in Paisley.

But more importantly, the trip to Glasgow was also the opportunity she had longed for to learn the English language and take the first few steps on the path to a career in the tourism industry.

Having paid her £1200 fees for the course in advance, along with her travel costs, from savings her parents had made by selling the family car and not taking any holidays for two years, it was an opportunity that she was determined not to waste.

So it was with a sense of bewilderment that she arrived at the Kelvin Business School at the Templeton Business Centre, in an ornate landmark building beside Glasgow Green in the city's east end, to find a locked and empty office.

Three weeks later, sitting in a cafe near the still padlocked premises of the school, which has the motto Make it Real - Make It KBS' emblazoned on the door, Juliana has come to the conclusion that she had been conned in an elaborate international fraud.

Fighting back the tears, she explained that since her arrival she has made several trips to the Templeton address and has met students, from as far afield as Iran, Iraq and Venezuela, all of whom have paid thousands of pounds in fees for a course - named AbleEnglish - which does not appear to exist.

Speaking through sister Laura, Juliana told The Herald she was so devastated by what has happened, and so concerned about how her family would react, that she has not been able to phone her parents at their home in the city of Villavicencio.

Although she has contacted police and trading standards officers in Glasgow, and hopes something will be done, she knows her own aspirations are in tatters. "This was supposed to be such an important step for me to get into the tourism industry and a very important thing in a cultural sense," she said. "It was so exciting when I got here to see so many beautiful buildings and the cars driving on the other side of the road and I was so pleased to see my sister again because we had been apart for such a long time.

"This is the worst thing I have ever had to overcome and I feel for all those out there with the same experience because it is such a hard thing to try to overcome. I have been given a very serious life experience, but it was not the one that I came here for. If this is a fraud, then it is preying on vulnerable people from poor countries who come to Scotland to better themselves."

Her sister Laura Day, 29, who met her husband while studying in Australia and moved here two years ago, is equally devastated because she identified the AbleEnglish course as an ideal starting point for her sister, signed her up, and paid the advance fees from the money her parents had sent her.

She thought she had planned carefully, ensuring the centre she chose was on a list approved by the Department for Skills and Education, and also recognised by the British Consulate in Colombia as appropriate for it to issue a student visa.

After checking the website, she contacted director David Morrison by phone, as well as seeing where the offices were located, and how good travel routes were.

"I knew my sister was going to be away from home for the first time and I didn't want her to be in a bad place or a dangerous place. I wanted it to be a good place," she said.

"I spoke to David Morrison on the telephone several times and he was so easy to get hold of. He always answered me and if I got the answer machine someone would contact me straight away and everything was made easy for me."

She then got a letter from "David" at AbleEnglish stating the fees for the course were £2592, but that she would be eligible for a "special reduction" if the fees were paid up front, reducing the cost to £1200. The letter concluded: "Very much looking forward to meeting with you on your arrival."

Laura said she was appalled when she realised she had been conned.

"For what we paid for the course, and for Juliana to get here... it was the equivalent of about half of what a house would cost in Colombia," she said.

"It is a terrible thing that has happened and we don't know where to turn next.

"I don't have the courage to tell my parents, because they trusted my judgment and I thought I did everything that had to be done and chose a school that I thought was a good one. If my sister has to go home, then all the effort will be for nothing."

According to records, the Kelvin Business School Ltd was incorporated in March 2004.

Originally the mailing address was a house in Cumbernauld, but it was changed to an address within the Templeton Business Centre and then altered once again, as recently as three weeks ago, to a different address in the same complex.

Mr Morrison is the sole director and his girlfriend, Jin Wang, is the company secretary. When the business was started, their home address was listed as the house in Cumbernauld, which is actually the home of Mr Morrison's parents.

Their most recent address had been given as a Victorian flat in the west end of Glasgow.

Contacted by The Herald last night, Mr Morrison's father said he had not heard from his son for some time. He said: "David no longer lives in this house; to be quite honest with you, I don't know where he stays. He is difficult to get hold of. I'll phone him and it will say something like not available'."

Mr Morrison said his son had mentioned the KBS to him in the past, adding: "I don't know if he teaches, or administrates, I really couldn't tell you."