I hope all know how this works. You get a check and are requested that when you get the money, you pay a part to other parties like lawyers, etc.. Since banks pay out checks on the condition that there is provision they will claim the money back 2 weeks later when the check has bounced.
It happens also with cars. You sell a car and they send you a check for more monet than you agreed. They ask you to pay the transport company that collects the car. You sell for 3000', the cheque is 4000, you pay the transport company 1000 and 2 weeks later the 4000 needs to be repaid. You lost car and 1000. Never ever deal with cheques that you get over the mail . The problem is that the banks can not know whether a cheque will bounce or not when they cash it from a foreign bank. I get mail like that and i send them always to the internet fraude police, with a copy to the sender.
You could tell them to crab one arm with the other and shove it hard.
I told this to someone when they tried to use my name for a phone account (by a letter sent to me), they called later and wanted to know my social security number.