GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — $7,500... that's how much the last customer of 53-year-old Milton Gray Jr. paid up front for a fence, according to Guilford County's Sheriff Office. But GCSO said that's not his first, he also scammed someone out of $1,200 in 2019.
"The Better Business Bureau does have two companies listed that are associated with Mr. Gray, neither one of them have any complaints but we also didn't have enough information to give the company any sort of a letter grade, it’s just listed as ‘NR’ which means no rating because we weren’t able to come up with enough information to be able to assess his companies, in order to give him any sort of letter grade," Lechelle Yates, BBB's Director of Communications said.
According to the GCSO, Gray uses various company names to sell fencing.
He asks his victims to sign a contract and requests money upfront for installation.
After he's been paid, he reportedly stops returning the victim's calls and never gets the job done.
Yates said, any time someone asks you to pay a large amount of money up front, especially for a smaller scaled project like a fence, it is a major red flag, "if possible, pay with a credit card so that if there is a problem, you can then dispute the charge. Make sure you get a receipt when you do pay money upfront on any sort of job, that way if you do run into a problem, you have prove that you paid."
As for protecting others, she said if you have been scammed or have had a bad experience, you should file a complaint with the BBB and file a report with law enforcement.
"You are being a hero for your community and possibly protecting someone else from having the same problem," Yates said.
GCSO said there have been dozens of reports on Gray for the same fraudulent behavior in surrounding areas dating back to the early 2000s.