Hi reed838,
I'm glad you found us. Yes it's a scam. I'm the person who called you. Please see my PM or my email for specific details.
For the benefit of others reading this, this is a common type of scam known as an overpayment scam. The way it works is the scammers answer hundreds of ads for items that are listed for sale on internet sites like Craig's List, Facebook, etc. They reply with a stock email stating they are interested, and asking if you will take a cashier's check or money order. If you say yes, they tell you it's a deal, and they send you a fake check. The check will be for more than the amount you requested. Sometimes they pretend this is a mistake, sometimes they tell you it is for their shipping company who will pick up the item. If the check is not for more than the asking price, you can be sure the order will be suddenly canceled after the seller deposits the check. Whatever the excuse, you are asked to wire the extra money to them using Western Union or Moneygram, both of which are untraceable. They are usually in a big hurry for this because they know the check can be returned at any time.
Where most people go wrong here is they believe the scammer might be trying to steal their item, and they believe they will be fine if they hold onto it until the check clears. The fact is, the scammer couldn't care less about the item, and in many cases they have no idea what it is.
The second aspect to this is that most people do not understand what it means when a check "clears" the bank. Banks in most countries are required to give provisional access to funds on deposit within a few days. This does NOT mean they take responsibility for the check when it is returned. Days, weeks, or months later, the check WILL be discovered to be fraudulent by a clearing house or by the issuing bank. At that time, the bank will probably withdraw the entire amount of the check from your account. If you can't cover it, they will come after you for it. It makes no difference where that check came from, the depositor is held responsible.
Edit to add: This scam can be done with checks, cashier's checks, money orders or even wire transfers. In the case of a wire transfer, another bank account, often another victim's account is used to deposit the fake check. That account can be funded by other fraudulent means as well. From there, it works the same as with a fake check. Money is wired to the seller for "payment". The seller is asked to send the overpayment back via Moneygram, Western Union. When initial funding is discovered to be fraudulent, the transfer is reversed, and the seller is left holding the bag. This method is called account flashing.
If you think your buyer may be a check scammer, simply ask them to send the money via Western Union. There is no good reason they should not be able to do this, especially if they have asked you to send money that way.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke
So it's not going to be possible to see where he is.
