Virginians need to be wary of scammers taking advantage of the coming $600 federal relief payments to get personal or bank information to steal your money, Attorney General Mark R. Herring warned last week.

Scammers often use the issuance of payments from the government as an opportunity to try to take advantage of people by using deceitful, high-pressure calls, emails, or texts that trick people into compromising their personal information or losing their money.

“This is a moment when we should all be coming together to support one another, but unfortunately we know that scammers and criminals often view payments like the $600 economic assistance as an opportunity to line their own pockets,” said Herring. “Just remember that no action should be required on your part in order to receive the assistance. It should either be directly deposited into your bank account, or mailed directly to your house. If you get a call, email, text, or other communication asking for personal or bank...