Manassas Police offer crime prevention tips after reports of fraud and attempted utility scam

Manassas City Police Department
Crime Report
Jan. 8, 2016

Larceny from Auto
On Jan. 6, 2016, Manassas City Police met with a citizen at Quest Diagnostics (8685 Sudley Rd) for a report of a larceny from auto. The reporting party told officers that sometime between 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. while she was inside working, someone entered her vehicle and stole her purse which contained a wallet holding an undisclosed amount of money along with identification cards.

Attempted Phone Scam
On Jan. 7, 2016, Manassas City Police met with a citizen at Manassas Dental Center (8404 Dorsey Cir) for a report of an attempted phone scam. The reporting party told officers that she had received a call from an individual claiming to represent Dominion Power. The caller told the employee that if she did not pay the balance of her outstanding electric bill immediately, her service would be disconnected. The employee ended the conversation and contacted City of Manassas Public Works Department, who confirmed that the call was a scam.

CRIME PREVENTION TIP
Don’t believe callers, emails or texts that say they are from a utility company and that your account is past due. The City of Manassas is the sole provider of utilities in the City of Manassas (20110), and will not call customers demanding money. When in doubt about the status of your account, please call Public Works Customer Service line directly at (703)257-8219. Payments to the Public Works Department are never accepted in the form of pre-paid cards, but may be made in person at 8500 Public Works Dr, by phone, and online. Click here to view all payment options available.

Fraud on Craigslist
On Jan. 3, 2016, Manassas City Police met with a resident on the 10300 block of Lee Manor Dr for a report of a fraud. The reporting party told officers that she had been in communication with a male subject on Craigslist’s classifieds website regarding a property for rent on the 10300 block of Godwin Dr. She further explained that the subject, who claimed to be the landlord and to be based in Calif., agreed to mail her keys to the property once she signed a rental agreement and transferred a deposit along with three months’ rent into his bank account. Shortly after, the victim observed that the post in question had been flagged and removed. Through further investigation, officers were able to locate the landlord of the property. The landlord told officers that his property was up for rent, but that he had no knowledge of the other male subject with whom the victim interacted. The victim contacted her bank and requested that the transfer be stopped.

CRIME PREVENTION TIP
Take advantage of Craigslist’s tips on “Avoiding Scams” to learn ways you can protect yourself – and even spot scams in advance – while you cruise the classifieds.

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.