#Georgia Boy Scouts scammed by fake Airbnb in Florida

Good thing they’re always prepared.

A great deal in Florida turned out to be too good to be true for a couple of Boy Scout troops.

Georgia Scout Leader Scott Mulkey booked two homes in the Florida Keys via Airbnb for troops 5506 and 506 from northeast Georgia so he and the 23 boys could go snorkeling, fishing and camping. But when the group arrived, they found the houses didn’t even exist.

“There’s no mailbox. There’s not anything there at all,” Mulkey told WSVN.

In a video documenting the fraud, Mulkey, standing in front of the vacant lot, said: “It’s supposed to be a brand-new home near the beach. Exactly what is it that we’re supposed to be renting? Explain to me, how is this not fraud? There’s no home here. There’s no address here. There’s absolutely nothing here.”

A rep for Airbnb spokesperson wrote in a statement: “This type of situation is extremely rare, but when it happens, we take action to protect the integrity of our platform. To that end, these listings have been removed, and all associated hosts have been suspended pending further investigation.” The scouts also have credits for future stays.

Thankfully, the scouts ended up finding hotel rooms nearby.

“It’s just a good time for us to make some memories with our scouts while we can,” he said. “[We’re going to] hit the waters and try to leave all of this behind us, at least for now.”