$1.5-Million Gift To Brooklyn High School Turned Out To Be A Costly Scam

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A generous donation to a school in Brooklyn turned into a very expensive scam. Once the school received the money it got the okay from the Department of Education to start using the funds.

As CBS2's Raegan Medgie reported, the donation was anything but.

The High School of Enterprise, Technology, and Business on Grand Avenue in East Williamsburg became a target after a spokesperson with the Department of Education said it received a $1.5-million donation from a man posing as a good Samaritan.

The check offered was rejected once the Department of Education went to cash it.

"I think the Department of Education should have confirmed the check was real before letting the school spend," Carl Ferrero said.

"I think everyone should have had checks and balances. They should have checked the check before they spent the money," Davon Harris added.

Chancellor Carmen Farina said once the investigation is complete the Department of Education will make sure principals know what to do in the future when it comes to generous donations.

"We have 1,600 schools and we have p weekly and will say 'principals keep in mind, be aware, and call central for more information," Farina said.

Both the NYPD and FBI are investigating.

The Department of Education said some of the money was spent, but would not go into detail on what the money was used for.