There is always a real estate scam going around.
This one in particular has the following elements:
- foreign buyer,
- cash buyer,
- wishes to hire an attorney,
- communicates via email only,
- sends unsolicited copy of bank statement (usually Canadian bank),
- sends too much earnest money in the form of a check,
- then asks for a refund of excess earnest money.
Click here for a long thread of people who have received this kind of solicitation.