Zambian students duped in China in a bursaries scam

TWO Zambians are among several international students that have been swindled out of thousands of dollars at a named university in China in a suspected bursaries scam.
The students were each asked to pay US$4,000 to a Ghanaian student, Isaac Ntiamoah, who is also a pastor of students’ fellowship at the university in order to win a full bursary.

Despite making the payment earlier this year, the affected students stated that none of them had received a full bursary, a situation that had forced them to demand for a refund.
One of the affected students, Namatama Mulonda, told the Times of Zambia in an interview from China that the scholarship had turned out to be a scam.
Pastor Isaac is said to have been collecting money from international students since March this year, particularly those from African countries with a promise of securing them full bursaries.

However, when contacted, the clergyman vehemently refused to have swindled the students, saying a refund would be made to those that had not received the sponsorship.
“There is nothing like that (swindle). By today, these people that have not been granted their bursaries will get their money, so there is no need for anyone to worry,” Pastor Isaac said.
He said some of the students had already been refunded after failing to get the sponsorship.
Apart from two Zambians who are based in Hunan and Shanghai provinces, there are a number of international students from Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Pakistan, among other countries, that have lost their money.
Ms Mulonda, a second-year student studying medicine at the university, said she was currently pushing for a refund after failing to receive a scholarship after being promised.
“I talked to the school about it but they don’t care what transpired. What they want is their money (tuition fee), (but) no money has been refunded yet from this man and I sent him a letter that I want a refund.
“This is because when I was paying for the scholarship he made it clear if I don’t receive then he will refund me the money,” Ms Mulonda said.
She said most of the affected students were stranded at the university as they did not know whether they would be able to raise tuition fees for the semester after the incident.

Times of Zambia