Virginia Authorities Warn of Scams Targeting Relief Checks

Officials in Virginia are warning of possible scams related to the coronavirus epidemic. And they’re particularly worried about the $1,200 checks that many Americans will receive from the federal government in the coming weeks and months.

The warning comes from the Internal Revenue Service as well as a new state task force that’s been set up specifically to battle epidemic-related fraud. It’s made up of U.S. Attorneys for the state as well as the FBI and the Virginia State Police.

They issued a warning late last week.

U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger said in a statement that Virginians are “likely to see an uptick” in things such as advanced-fee schemes that promise government relief checks.

Scammers may ask people to sign over their checks or get them to “verify” filing information in order to steal money.