Bixby Neighborhood Rallies Around Scammed Veteran

A Bixby neighborhood is stepping up to help an elderly couple who said they were scammed by a contractor who was hired to build their fence.

The couple said they were scammed out of more than $1,000.

Thanks to some generous neighbors, they now have the fence they've been praying for.

"I never dreamed that anything like this would ever happen," said Homeowner Frank Aiello. 

Neighbors, friends, and volunteers stepped in Saturday morning to help Aiello rebuild his fence after hearing that he and his wife were scammed by a local fencing company.

"It wasn't good looking at all. It was just flabby and you could see underneath it and there were ripples in it," Aiello said. 

"Not only did they take their money but then their realtor got involved and their realtor put in money to help get it fixed, and it still didn't get fixed and they took their money," said neighbor Christina Anderson. 

Anderson said she drove by the home often and noticed for a while the fence looked jagged and incomplete.

So, instead of staring, she said she decided to find out the story behind it. 

"He was a contractor that they'd found. He had said that he'd started the project but then someone stole the whole lot of wood and there wasn't anything he could do about it," Anderson said. 

Aiello said he is a disabled veteran who served in the U.S. Army for 2 years. 

He said he's never seen such an outpouring of love from his neighbors.

"The way they're constructing it right now it's a wonderful professional job," Aiello said. 

"He's a disabled vet. He can't help himself. he was really taken and it just touched our heart and we wanted to be helpful," Anderson said. 

Anderson said there were about 30 volunteers and donations from local stores including Lowes.