“There is another Nigerian scam I have heard of that sounds more like what he could have been involved in. Here’s how it works: You sell something on Ebay for say $100. The buyer who is in a foreign country sends you a money order $200 (which most people think will not bounce because they think MO’s are as good as cash). The buyer asks that you send them the item back plus $100 in cash. You agree to it. The next week, you find out the money order was no good. You’re out $200 and the item.

If you know of other email addresses for Irwin besides (the one on his website) I would recommend checking them on Ebay to see if he was selling anything. Maybe he sold some studio equipment and got scammed that way. That stuff is pretty expensive and could warrant a check for 10’s of thousands.

Just an idea. Also, it is possible the investigators are aware of this scenerio but are not getting into the details with the media.”