A South Carolina teacher says her family paid $10,760 for a Disney World vacation and two other trips that were never booked. The travel agent she had trusted for years now faces breach-of-trust charges in two South Carolina counties.
Austin Spolski told local reporters that earlier vacations arranged by Ann Brown Malphrus had generally gone smoothly. This time, Spolski said she paid through Venmo, never received usable booking confirmations and had to explain to her children why their fall break trip would not happen.
Families in Georgia described a similar problem after paying the agent for hotel rooms during youth baseball competitions. Some arrived at their destinations and had to find replacement accommodations at their own expense.
Malphrus, 61, of Ridgeland, was arrested in separate Fairfield and Kershaw County cases in October 2026. Newly obtained court records confirm a misdemeanor breach-of-trust allegation in Fairfield and a felony allegation in Kershaw. Both cases remain pending.
Family Says $10,760 Paid for Three Trips Led to No Reservations
Spolski, a teacher, told WTOC that her family had booked beach trips and other vacations through Malphrus for years. The agent offered attractive prices, and past problems were usually resolved, Spolski said. That experience led the family to arrange a fall break trip to Walt Disney World and separate getaways for Spolski and her husband.
In an earlier WIS interview, Spolski gave the amount as $10,760 and showed Venmo receipts for payments made from March through June. She said she had not received confirmation codes and eventually discovered that none of the three trips had been booked.
As the family was supposed to be enjoying Disney World, Spolski recalled her daughter asking what they would have been doing at the park that day. Spolski said the missing arrangements cost the family both its payments and the anticipated holiday, prompting her to contact law enforcement.
Georgia Baseball Families Arrived to Find Hotel Rooms Missing
Amanda Harness of Richmond Hill, Georgia, also had used Malphrus for previous travel. Earlier this year, she went back to the agent for hotel rooms while her son attended baseball competitions. Other families associated with the team made arrangements through Malphrus as well, Harness told WTOC.
When the travelers arrived, Harness said, several families encountered trouble with their rooms. Her own accommodation had not been reserved, and she had to book somewhere else at additional expense. She estimated her losses in the thousands of dollars.
Harness said Malphrus later told her that a refund had been mailed, but the money never arrived. Both Harness and Spolski described making payments through Venmo and receiving reassurances about reservations when they asked questions. Harness said those explanations sounded specific enough to delay suspicion without providing a booking that the customer could verify.
Fairfield County Case Involves an Invalid Airline Reservation
The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office investigated a complaint from someone who paid Malphrus to arrange airline travel. The customer discovered that the supplied information did not correspond to a valid airline reservation and never received the service, according to the sheriff’s account reported by ABC Columbia.
Investigators said Malphrus acknowledged receiving the payment and agreed to issue a refund. The customer reported that the money was not returned despite assurances that a refund was being processed. A sheriff’s investigator presented the evidence to a magistrate on Oct. 2, and the sheriff’s office announced Malphrus’s arrest on Oct. 8.
The Fairfield magistrate court record, case 2026A2010100263, lists one pending misdemeanor charge of breach of trust with fraudulent intent involving property valued at $2,000 or less. It gives an Oct. 8 arrest date and a Nov. 18, 2026, court appearance at 10 a.m. The bond record shows a $2,125 surety bond posted on Oct. 9.
Camden Fraud Charge Involves $10,765 and a $20,000 Bond
Camden police separately alleged that Malphrus accepted $10,765 from a customer to arrange travel accommodations between February and June 2026 without making the promised reservations. She was arrested on Oct. 10 and charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent involving $10,000 or more, according to WIS.
The Kershaw County public index identifies the pending case as 2026A2820200173. It lists a $20,000 cash-or-surety bond with a condition prohibiting direct or indirect contact with the complainant. The next listed court appearance is Dec. 8, 2026, at 9 a.m. WTOC reported that Malphrus was released from jail late Oct. 12.
Spolski said before the Camden arrest that she was working with Camden police. Her $10,760 account is only $5 below the amount announced in the Kershaw case, but police have not publicly identified the complainant in that charge. The two figures cannot reliably be added together as separate customer losses.
Additional Travelers Speak Out as City Places Agent on Leave
Spolski and Harness said they connected through Facebook with other people describing similar experiences across the Southeast and in Missouri. Their accounts suggest additional complaints, but not every claim shared online has been established in a criminal proceeding. The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office has asked potential victims to report transactions to local police and provide supporting documents.
Malphrus also worked as a revenue specialist for the City of Hardeeville. City Manager Josh Gruber said she was placed on unpaid administrative leave while the matter was examined, according to WSAV. The city said the travel allegations were unrelated to Malphrus’s municipal job.
South Carolina’s Two Breach-of-Trust Charges Carry Different Penalties
South Carolina Section 16-13-230 makes breach of trust with fraudulent intent a criminal offense. The Fairfield charge falls in the $2,000-or-less category, which is a misdemeanor punishable upon conviction by up to 30 days in jail or a fine of up to $1,000.
The separate Kershaw charge involves $10,000 or more, a felony with a possible prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine set by the court. Neither charge establishes a conviction, and the higher value bracket does not mean Malphrus has been judicially found to owe the alleged amount. The cases’ bond amounts are also separate from any claimed traveler losses.
How to Confirm Travel Reservations Before Paying an Agent
The Federal Trade Commission recommends researching travel companies, obtaining the booking and cancellation terms in writing, and avoiding arrangements that require payment through a personal payment app. Even a history of successfully arranged trips is no substitute for confirming each new booking independently.
Before departure, travelers should check directly with the airline that their reservation has been ticketed and call the hotel using a number from its official website to confirm the stay and payment status. When an agent cannot produce a valid reservation, keep invoices, confirmation numbers, messages and payment receipts, and promptly contact the card issuer or payment app about possible dispute or recovery options.
Suspected fraud can be reported to ReportFraud and local police. The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office also asks people with relevant information to call 803-635-4141 and provide records of the transaction.