ROCKVILLE, Md. (WDVM) — Montgomery College lost $2.8 million dollars in a financial fraud scheme last year.

In a press release, school officials announced they learned about the incident in September 2019. During a financial audit done by accounting firm Clifton Larson Allen, they found about 1% of its annual budget was stolen and went into a quote “fraudulent bank account.” The scheme is said to be committed by criminals outside the college. An investigation is ongoing but the school did manage to recover 39% of the money.

The college’s president Derionne Pollard said in a statement “more than 2,000 of our employees have participated in a training that will improve their ability to detect potential fraud.”