“Overnight, we lost everything”: students were robbed of 9,000 euros which were supposed to finance a humanitarian trip

Des étudiants se font voler 9 000 euros qui devaient financer un voyage humanitaire. (illustration) MAXPPP – Sebastien JARRY

Dix étudiants infirmiers de Beauvais dans l'Oise se sont fait voler 9 000 euros sur leur compte bancaire. Cet argent devait financer un voyage humanitaire à Madagascar.

Only a few months before leaving for a humanitarian trip to Madagascar, the ten nursing students at the nursing training institute (Ifsi) in Beauvais find themselves confronted with a problem in size. While they held 9,000 euros to finance this project, they were victims of bank fraud last February, reports France 3.

"We'll pay out of pocket"

It was abnormal money movements on February 15 of this year that aroused suspicion. "On the account for Madagascar , we saw a transfer of 3 900 euros to Lithuania. Almost the same on the BDE account. In total, we lost an average of 9 000 euros. We only have 83 euros left. From one day to the next, we lost everything. It was a shock for us", explains one of the students to our colleagues.

This money was to be used to cover expenses for housing, food but also travel, he said. But the nursing students do not plan to cancel the trip. "We will pay out of our own pocket, and we hope to be helped", they say, specifying that a prize pool is open.

The project is to establish a real exchange of knowledge but also of cultures during this immersion at the Mahajunga University Hospital. "On will support the teams already on site. We will bring back as much material as possible and it is an opportunity for a cultural exchange between our practices and theirs. We also plan to participate in the distribution of medical and school equipment in hospitals, maternity wards, schools, prisons…", explains a student.

For now, a complaint has been filed with the police. The future nurses hope to recover the lost money and have started the process with the banks concerned.