Fire Department Warns of Fire Inspection Hoax

The Prince George's County Fire Department is asking residents to be aware of a possible scam intended to defraud residents of money by offering a fake fire inspection. 

"The Office of the Fire Marshal has received several inquiries and a copy of a flyer that is being distributed seeking a $25 payment for a 'fire inspection,'" fire department spokesman Mark Brady wrote in an email.

The flyer, attached to this post, has the title "Fire Prevention Office" and lists the office address. According to Brady, these flyers are not being distributed by the fire marshal's office, or the fire department. 

The fire department, Brady said, charges fees for certain services, but would never advertise via a door-to-door flyer. PGFD is asking anyone who receives one of these flyers to contact the Office of the Fire Marshal at (301) 583-1830. If a person is confronted by someone distributing these flyers, they are urged to call 911 immediately.

"All of our fire inspectors will display a badge and credentials identifying themselves as a member of the Fire/EMS Department," Brady wrote in an email.