The Foreign Home Buyer Scam 

If you're a seller and get a strong indication of interest in buying your home from a foreigner, be very careful.  Some foreign "buyers" are offering to buy properties sight unseen.  They say they have a representative in the U.S. who is holding a check for them for say $20,000.  They want the seller to accept that check, refund $15,000, and keep $5,000 as a deposit on the home.  One suspects that the funds are unavailable for the $20,000, and that they are trying to steal $5,000 from the seller.  The story and the amounts vary.  The pattern is pretty much the same.  If you encounter anything similar to this, please be very careful.