The Prince George County Police Department announced on Apr. 14 that scammers are impersonating county government officials, particularly from the Planning and Zoning departments, to trick residents and business owners into making fraudulent payments.
This warning is important as these scams use convincing emails and voicemails that appear legitimate, increasing the risk of financial loss for community members. The police say scammers have been using public records to identify people with active building permits or planning applications. Victims are then contacted with professional-sounding messages and fake invoices that closely resemble official county documents.
“These scams are designed to look and sound very real,” said Major Nicholas. “They often include the names of actual staff members to create a false sense of legitimacy and urgency.” Common signs include requests for payment through services like Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, cryptocurrency, or gift cards—methods never used by the county—as well as high-pressure tactics threatening immediate permit cancellation or legal action if payment is not made quickly. The sender’s email address may also use public domains such as @gmail.com instead of an official @princegeorgecountyva.gov address.
Police recommend verifying any unexpected invoice or payment request by contacting the Planning Department or Treasurer’s Office directly using numbers listed on the official county website rather than those provided in suspicious messages. They also urge residents not to click links or download attachments from unsolicited emails claiming to be from local government offices. Anyone targeted by this scam is encouraged to report it by calling (804) 733-2770.
According to the Virginia Department of Education, Prince George County Public Schools District enrolled 6,181 students during the 2023-24 school year—a figure representing a 1.2% increase over the previous year’s total enrollment. Among its seven schools, Prince George High School had the highest enrollment at 1,818 students for that period according to state data. White students were the largest ethnic group in local schools at nearly 45%, followed by Black students at just over 30% according to enrollment figures.
North Elementary School welcomed both the largest number of pre-kindergarten students (46 children) and kindergarteners (119 children), accounting for about a quarter of all such enrollments in each category across Prince George County schools according to education reports.
The police department continues working with other county leaders as part of efforts against these predatory schemes targeting citizens.
