I'm drawing your attention to the IP Relay scams coming via telephone from an IP Relay operator. Nigerians are using IP Relay to contact prospective victims of all walks of life (Ebay, counterfeit cashiers checks, Online for sale ads, businesses, etc...).
IP Relay is a federally funded service that makes telephone communication available to people who are deaf, and they use an operator to communicate their calls from a computer (where the operator is) to people who can hear on the phone. The relay operator relays the conversation back and forth- speaking for the person who is deaf and is typing, and typing back what the person is saying to them from the phone.
Nigerians have HIJACKED this service. They call anyone and everyone they can find online who has something to sell, or who they meet in online dating sites, etc... It's incredibly widespread. Millions of people have been scammed this way. They will call you using Relay, try to buy what you have for sale using stolen credit cards or forged cashiers checks, and after you have sent the item either directly to Nigeria, or to a shipper they are using inside the US as a safe drop point, you find out too late that the Credit card is stolen, or the check is bogus. Try to google the words "Nigeria IP Relay Scams" and see what you come up with.
How do I know all this? I'm a relay operator. I have had to facilitate these scam calls for years. But try to remember, I'm a good guy. I try to call victims on my off time to warn them about the scam each and every time. But there are operators who are too scared to call victims. We could lose our jobs in doing this. It's directly against the rules of the FCC. (that's a very long story).
If you have any questions, there is a newly formed IP Relay operator's website that discusses the scams in depth. I am a moderator at this forum. Here is the link:
http://relayscams.aimoo.com
If you have been scammed, please come there and tell us about it. We can help!