This is off-topic, as it has nothing to do with science, science-fiction, or fantasy.  It does a a little to do with math, though not much, but I present the story nonetheless of how someone tried to scam me in the hopes that the information might be useful to someone else.

I received an inquiry from someone at least using the name Nico Yunaris about tutoring.  I thought it might be Greek; it didn't really matter.  He wanted me to tutor his 15-year-old daughter in Algebra I.  There was nothing suspicious about this, as I've received numerous inquiries about tutoring someone's high school sons and daughters, and have forthwith tutored many of them.

There following a couple of details that were, however, a bit unusual, including: (1) His daughter would be staying with a relative of theirs in Pittsburgh for the month, and (2) He wanted to pay for 24 lessons in advance by check.  There was in the back of my mind  the feeling that something was funny, but I'm pretty open-minded and allow for people whose thinking differs from mine on some points I would consider important.  Besides, from his command of English, I assumed he was from another country where they might do things differently.

We exchanged a number of e-mails arranging dates and locations, all the usual stuff.  Then, one day, came the notification that the check had been mailed, and the punch line:

Hello,
Thanks for the mail as well for your good response and your understanding so far and happy to let
you know that am totally pleased with the lesson schedule. I will like you to understand that i
have forwarded you details to my associate,he has issued the check and sent out to you,which you
are going to receive any moment from now in other for you to have it cleared to your account
before the lesson date as we both agreed. Moreover, i will like you to understand that he has
told me the amount on the check is more than $600,but i have make arrangement concerning this,
once you get the check make the deposit to your bank and once its cleared to your account which
is not going to take more than 48hours,you will deduct the lesson fee of $600 and help me to
send the remaining balance to the flight agent VIA MONEY-GRAM MONEY TRANSFER OR WESTERN UNION
MONEY TRANSFER who is going to book her ticket to Pittsburgh,PA (USA) from London.
I wait to hear from you once you read this mail to be sure you are going to follow my
instructions and take good care of my daughter when she arrived for the lesson and you are to
deduct all your transport fees and bank charges from the balance of the money you are to send.
Your are to deduct extra $20 from the money for all your effort by doing this for me
Sincerely,
Nico Yunaris

If you don't sense red flags waving about and alarms going off, shame on you!  Turn the bigger part an international check (more than 48 hours to clear) into a non-refundable international money transfer?  Yeah, right!  I'm smart enough to teach Quantum Mechanics (and Algebra I!), but I'm going to somehow not catch on to that?

So I e-mailed him back:

Nico: 
 
This arrangement is not satisfactory because it has the profile of a scam.  Specifically, it is
not reasonable that: 
1) I should be involved in transportation arrangements, 
2) You should fly your daughter from London to Pittsburgh when I know there are good tutors in
the London area, and 
3) That you would trust a large some of money to someone you do not know. 
 
If you are sincere, please stop payment on that check and issue payment via Western Union 
Money Transfer, and I will be glad to tutor your daughter. 
 
Regards, 
Duane

Not surprisingly, I didn't hear from him again.  I wonder if he was pissed off that he had invested so many e-mails and come up short.  There are a few thoughts I've had about this:

1. He contacted me though legitimate channels, targeting a person who already had an interest in the domain which his scan employed.  Tutors generally like to tutor.
2. He was eager that lessons begin by April 1 (I'm convinced they wouldn't have begun at all).  I suppose this to have been a means to apply pressure to complete financial arrangements and send him money before the check bounced.
3. I wonder if the dangling of a 15-year-old daughter to "take good care of" wasn't some kind of bait to sweeten the deal. I've tutored high-school girls before; it's nothing particularly alluring.  I have one at home.
4. These scam artists are devilishly clever in devising schemes.  One of my friends threw away over $500 to apply for a loan over the Internet.  If only he had asked.  If these scammers applied such creativity to honest pursuits, they could probably do just as well.

So there it is.  Be careful online.  I could have been in a real pickle if I'd fallen for it.