Manassas city police alerted to two utility scams

Manassas City Police Department
Crime Report
October 5, 2015

Vandalism to Auto
On October 3, 2015, Manassas City Police met with a resident on the 10200 block of Cleary St for a report of a vandalism.  The reporting party told officers that between 8:00pm on September 30th and 2:00pm on October 3rd, three of her vehicle’s tires were slashed, resulting in a $600.00 loss.

Larceny from Auto
On October 4, 2015, Manassas City Police met with a resident on the 8900 block of Tarragon Ct for a report of a larceny from auto.  The reporting party told officers that sometime between 11:15pm on 10/3/15 and 9:00am on 10/4/15, two of their vehicles had been broken into and had items stolen from within while the vehicles were parked in front of their residence.  Missing items, valued together at $1,700.00, included a woman’s purse, a gym bag, and electronics.

Attempted Fraud
On October 2, 2015, Manassas City Police met with a resident for a report of an attempted fraud.  The reporting party told officers that she received a call from a man claiming to work for a local power company who told her that her payment for utilities was late.  The resident recognized the call as a scam and did not supply any information or pay the caller.

On the same date, officers met with a small business at 9126 Center St for a similar report.  An employee told officers that someone had called from a local electric department and told him that in order to avoid having his utilities turned off, he would need to pay the caller.  The business recognized the call as a scam and did not supply any information or pay the caller.

Crime Prevention Note: The City of Manassas is the sole provider of utilities in the City of Manassas (20110), and will not call customers demanding money.  Utility bills may only be paid at the Department of Public Works (located at 8500 Public Works Dr) or via the City of Manassas website.  Unless you initiated a transaction with your bank or a business, NEVER give out personal or financial information just because someone asks for it.


Anyone with information about these events is encouraged to call the Manassas City Police Department Investigative Services Division at (703) 257-8092 or Crime Solvers.  The Manassas City/Manassas Park Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward up to $1000.00 for information that leads to an arrest in these cases.  The confidential 24-hour tip line is (703) 330-0330.