WASHINGTON — Phone scams in Northern Virginia that appear to come from a major utility company have prompted a warning from police.

The Leesburg Police Department said Wednesday it has recently seen an increase in the number of phone scams targeting area residents. The scammers are posing as representatives of Dominion Power and request immediate payment on “delinquent accounts,” according to a news release.

Another scam involves calls that appear to come from the IRS demanding payment for delinquent taxes, according to police.

In both cases, the fraudsters tells victims to obtain gift cards to exchange funds, police said.

On its website, Dominion tells customers to be wary of calls requesting immediate payment through prepaid credit cards or gift cards. Customers can call 1-866-DOM-HELP ( (1-866-366-4357) to verify if a call is legitimate.

In Virginia Beach this week authorities said they were investigating dozens of reports of an online phone scam in which fraudsters posed as employees of the sheriff’s office and demanded fees for missing jury duty. The scammers demanded between $900 and $6,000.