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PORTLAND, Ore. — Two Oregon Girl Scout troops have been left footing a $24,000 bill after a hoax order left them with 6,000 boxes of cookies on their hands.

The order appeared to come from a woman who worked for a local company. Two troops set aside the 6,000 boxes of needed cookies. They didn't notice a problem until they tried to contact the company for payment.

"I contacted the ... company and they said, 'We have no idea what's going on,'" scout mother Jennifer Reed told ABC News.

The order for the cookies had already gone through, so there was nothing the Girl Scouts could do — except try to find a way to pay for them. But when community members found out about the prank, they sprang into action.

Hundreds of supporters showed up Saturday to an emergency sale at the Portland Girl Scouts headquarters, leaving the Girl Scouts with $12,000 and half the inventory gone.

"They want to show children the world is a good place," said Girl Scout spokeswoman Sarah Miller. "When they hear about things that aren't so great, they want to show the opposite side of that."

Want to help?* You can send an email to cookies@girlscoutsosw.org for more information on helping the troops.

The Girl Scouts are hoping to sell the remaining cookies at another sale next Saturday.

The hoax was the latest in a string of unfortunate events surrounding the Girl Scout cookie sales. Earlier this month, vandals broke into a garage in Monroe, Wash., and trashed hundreds of boxes of cookies, pouring paint and oil everywhere, according to King 5.

Shortly thereafter, a South Carolina man was charged with taking $19,000 in Girl Scout cookies from a warehouse.

On Saturday, a Taylorsville troop lost money from cookie sales after a man approached them, grabbed their cash box and ran away.

Unified Police said witnesses described the vehicle as an older model sedan driven by a thin woman. The man was described as a white male in his early 20s, 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds, with tattoos covering his left arm.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Unified Police at 801-743-7000.

*ksl.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does ksl.com assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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