Earlier in the week, The Washington Post reported that Genachowski "has indicated he wants to keep broadband services deregulated," a position favored by companies that say sweeping new regulations will deter investment and be overly burdensome.

The next day I received an email from the man telling me his secretary had made a mistake and had written the check for $4500 instead of $450. This is when the alarm bells started going off in my head. When the man told me he wanted me to cash the check and send him the balance via Western Union, I knew something was up. I had recalled all those scam emails I'd received in the past with similar scenarios involving Western Union and money transfers and got quite suspicious.