On a recent Sunday, a friend contacted Anthony “Gregg” Pifer − a longstanding Daytona Beach construction company owner − and told him about a curious newspaper ad he’d seen.
The A.G. Pifer Construction Co. was soliciting work. “Let’s Build Something Great Together!” it read. Only the phone number included an 850 area code. Pifer’s business is located just beyond the city limits of Daytona Beach and has a 386 number.
The color advertisement ran in the Sunday, Aug. 17, edition of The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Anthony “Gregg” Pifer, owner of A.G. Pifer Construction Co., Inc., made a complaint to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 18, about an advertisement that appeared in the Daytona Beach News-Journal that used his company’s name. He didn’t purchase the ad, which included a phone number not associated with the business.
When Pifer was able to see the ad, he noticed it was also missing a state certification number, which is required by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for licensed general contractors.
Pifer’s friend spotted a fraud.
Before 9 a.m. the next morning, Pifer reported the potential crime to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Det. Eric Hinkson researched the 850 phone number − which is no longer working − and found it belongs to Inteliquent, which calls itself “a leading communications enabler providing voice and messaging solutions … to wireless carriers and service providers.”
In other words, Hinkson wrote in his incident report: Inteliquent “is utilized by scammers.”
The Federal Trade Commission wrote Inteliquent a letter in 2022 warning that its routing and transmission of illegal robocalls could be illegal. Imposters of the Social Security Administration, AT&T and DirecTV, Hilton Hotels, and other companies made illegal robocalls using Inteliquent systems.
Hinkson was pursuing a subpoena to Inteliquent to find the origin of the phone number, according to the report.
Construction business built on ‘word of mouth, reputation’
Pifer, who grew up in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area, started his business in 1988 and incorporated it the following year.
“I’ve been in construction 53 years,” Pifer said, adding his first job paid him 95 cents an hour.
A.G. Pifer Construction has amassed about 3,700 clients over the years, handling commercial, residential and industrial jobs. More recently, the company has taken on a number of historic preservation jobs.
A.G. Pifer Construction of Daytona Beach recently completed the restoration of the historic Mary McLeod Bethune home on the Bethune-Cookman University campus.
Pifer Construction completed restoration of the historic Mary McLeod Bethune home on the Bethune-Cookman University campus earlier this year. It has also rebuilt the Historic Pacetti Hotel Museum at the Ponce Inlet lighthouse campus and transformed the former First Baptist Church in downtown New Smyrna Beach into the City Commission chambers.
Pifer Construction averages 130 jobs a year, Pifer said.
But it’s been a hard business to build, and reputation is crucial.
“Bad circumstances go farther and longer than good,” Pifer said.
He said he’s not aware of any potential customers who might have called the 850 number thinking they were lining up work with A.G. Pifer Construction by paying a deposit to whoever answered.
“Hopefully, nobody got scammed,” he said.
Pifer offered a few words of wisdom for people who might be considering hiring a general contractor to renovate a building, add a room or put up a new structure.
“Only use reputable firms,” Pifer said. “Unreputable firms usually are at a price that nobody can believe.”
Customers also need to verify that the company they are hiring is a licensed general contractor with the state − especially if they are making a deposit, Pifer said. They can search on the DBPR website or ask for the certification number.
The advertisement on top ran in The Daytona Beach News-Journal on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, setting the record straight that the ad below, which had run a week earlier, was not placed by the business named and that the phone number listed is not associated with A.G. Piper Construction Co. Inc., Daytona Beach. Local law enforcement authorities have been alerted to the matter.
News-Journal GM: Steps taken to prevent future fake ads
The News-Journal ran a followup ad in the Sunday, Aug. 24, edition, explaining the fraudulent ad and asking anyone who might have called the 850 number to get ahold of law enforcement.
The newspaper is cooperating with the sheriff’s investigation, General Manager Jane Katona said.
The purchaser of the ad contacted a Gannett call center. Steps have been taken to avoid future fraudulent ad buys, Katona said.
“In 35 years I have never had a fraudulent ad that looked that legitimate,” Katona said. “I don’t recall (a fraudulent) ad ever being placed that made it to publication.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia sheriff report: Daytona Beach construction firm reports fraud