U.S. District Attorney Charles Peeler of the Middle District of Georgia warned Thursday that his office is taking an aggressive stand on fraud crimes arising from the coronavirus pandemic, and this includes people trying to steal federal stimulus checks.

Peeler said he recently spoke with the U.S. Postal Inspector’s office about the checks. Most Americans are expected to receive the checks, with many checks going into direct deposit accounts and others being mailed.

“They are aware their carriers will be carrying these checks, so they are prepared to make sure the checks get to the right recipient and not fall into the hands of criminals,” he said about the postal service.

In response to potential thefts on this front and other frauds perpetrated during the coronavirus outbreak, Peeler has appointed one of his assistant attorneys, Jim Crane, as Coronavirus Fraud Coordinator for the middle district.

Crane is a Department of Justice attorney with more than 30 years of experience, Peeler said.

“This is a time when people need to be coming together. The vast majority of our citizens are doing that. This is not a time to take advantage of folks and trying to leverage this pandemic into fraud,” said Peeler, who’s home office is in Macon.

The frauds are coming in many forms, including fake virus tests, fake vaccines, fake treatments and e-mails designed to steal personal and medical information from victims, according to Peeler.

Fraud investigations can be worked by the state or federal government and Peeler said his office is in contact with the State Attorney General’s office to coordinate prosecutions.

“A lot of time people try to hide behind the computer, but law enforcement is getting better and better at identifying folks who are using the computer in order to scam folks,” he said.

People also need to be educated about con artists, Peeler said: “They are out there — don’t fall victim to them.”

People can report frauds to the federal hotline at 1-866-720-5721.