Here's a list of the current domain name scams.
If you have any questions about your domain name please call us immediately,
Andy (619) 542-0900
SCAM #1 Registering Domain Names (also see #2)
SCAM #2 Caustion about Registering Domain Names at a super discount domain name registrar.
SCAM #3 "Domain Registry of Canada" aka "Internet Registry of Canada" 2001, 2002, 2004
SCAM #4 "Domain Notification Central" 12/2005
SCAM #5 "Official Internet Registry & Optimization Bureau" 10/2006
SCAM #6 "Domaln Llsting Center" 10/2006
SCAM #7 "Hostile take overs of your Domain Name(s)" 4/2007
SCAM #8 "The Internet Authority" 11/2007
SCAM #9 "E-World Formations" 11/2007
SCAM #10 "Front Running is rampant on the internet." 1/2008
{SCAM #1}[Back to Top]
If you only register the .com version of your domain name: One of the largest scams on the net is domain name extortion (and it's legal).
It works like this, you register YourDomainName.ca, but you do not register YourDomainName.com. These domain name scammers register YourDomainName.com to themselves and try and sell it to you for $500 - $1000. If you don't buy it from them, they point it at a porn site (or something worse). Then when you want to buy it, the price is much much higher.
Companies/Individuals registering the .com .ca .net .org .biz .into .tv (the versions you haven't register) versions of your domain name and pointing that domain at a not so nice website (ie Porn or something worse) and then charging you $1000 per domain name to selling the .net .org .biz .into .tv version of your name back to you at this inflated rate. We've heard of one scam artists charging as much as $10,000 per domain name.
There is a domain name dispute resolution legal procedure that a company can use to get back their domain names that someone else has registered. That process takes months and can costs tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Depending on the domain name in question it's cheaper and faster to pay the scammers than to go through the domain name dispute resolution legal procedure.
The .ca and .com covers 90% of the people trying to get to your website. The reason you would want to register these other versions of your domain name is if your worried about someone registering them and putting up a bad website under your name.
If your are a publicly traded company or have trade marks to protect, we are recommending to our customers if they are at all worried about public identity, image or brand recognition and someone pulling this domain name scam on them, you should register the .com .ca .net .org .biz .info versions of your domain name just to be safe. If you plan on doing business in the United States or Great Britain we also recommend you register .us and .co.uk. It's way cheaper than paying the scam artists.
We can look after doing this for you and do all the DNS issues to point all your domain names at your website.
We look after everything for you in this regard, Registration, Renewal, updates, domain name protection, we protect your domain name from all the scams that are happening on the Internet.
{SCAM #2}[Back to Top]
Do not use one of those $9.95 domain name registration websites. If you
use one of those website to look up a domain to see if the domain name
you want is taken or not. And you don't register it right then and
there, they will register the domain name to themselves. If you go back
and try to register "your" domain name, they then tell you it's taken
but if you want to purchase it you can for $250 - $500us.
If you want to register a domain name send us a email with the name(s) your interested in. We have a tool that queries the Root Domain Name Servers directly and doesn't alert anyone that your interested in any particular name.
{SCAM #3}[Back to Top]
WARNING ABOUT: |
"Domain Registry of Canada" |
NO NOT PAY THESE INVOICES |
| Competition Bureau Issues Warning to Canadians about Misleading Mailings for Internet Domain Name Registrations |
Here's another example of a scam (CLICK HERE FOR FULL STOREY) This company (aka Internet Registry of Canada aka Domain Registry of Canada) has been shut down three times and starts up under another name a week later. It takes Industry Canada's Competition Bureau another two years to get them back into court.
DO NOT PAY ANY INVOICES from Internet Registry of Canada aka Domain Registry of Canada you may receive in the mail or email regarding your domain names.
Only pay invoices regarding your domain names that are from Netmatrix.
{SCAM #4} 11/12/2005 [Back to Top]
(Domain Notification Central)
Several of our customers have called about this scam.
They say the domain name is now available for registration and you have to give this company money to protect it.
DO NOT PHONE THEM OR PAY THEM ANY MONEY
Below is a sample of the fraudulent email they are sending out.
{SCAM #5} 5/10/2006 [Back to Top]
Fax received from "Official Internet Registry & Optimization Bureau" www.netmatrix.com/support/Warning/InternetScam.jpg Don't pay this, you receive nothing of value for your money.
{SCAM #6} 10/2006 [Back to Top]
YOU RECEIVE NOTHING OF VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY
Sample of the fraudulent email:
DOMAlN LlSTING CENTER
8171 Yonge St. Suite# 149
ThornhiIl, ON L3T 2C6
Canada
--------------------------
FlNAL NOTlCE
--------------------------
(Please make necessary changes)
ATT: Your Name
ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACT
Your Company Name
YourEmail@YourDomain.com
1234 - Your Address
Calgary - AB - CA
WWW.YourDomainName.COM
DESCRlPTION OF SERVICES:
Premium Package
ANNUAL WEBSlTE SEARCH ENGlNE SUBMISSlON
FROM SEPTEMBER 1,2006 THRU SEPTEMBER 1,2007
TOTAL
$75.00
SUBSCRIPTlON INCLUDES:
Custom keyword research
Optimized titIe and meta tags
Submission to 900 search engines and directories
safe follow-up re-submissions every 3 months
HelpfuI professional support
THIS IS NOT A BlLL. This is a solicitation. You are
under no obIigation to pay the amount(s) stated unless you accept this
offer.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Domain Name
WWW.YourDomainName.COM
Amount
Requested Reply
August 4th,2006
THIS NOTICE IS A SOLICITATION AND A RECEIPT OF PAYMENT WILL CONFIRM YOUR ANNUAL SUBMISSION
*100% SATISFACTION IS GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK
[ ] Please select the number of years you would like to signup for
[ ] 1 Year .......... $75
[ ] 2 Years .......... $85
[ ] 5 Years .......... $185 (Recommended)
[ ] 10 Years .......... $295 (Best Value, Most Recommended)
Total $ _______
________________________________
Signature
________________________________
Date
Payment by Check or Money Order
Print and mail a copy of this order form along with a check or money order to the address listed below:
Domain Listing Center Inc.
8171 Yonge St. Suite# 149
Thornhill, ON L3T 2C6
Canada
www.YourDomainName.COM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By accepting this offer, you agree not to hold DLC liable for any
part. Note that THIS IS NOT A BILL. This is a
solicitation. You are under no obIigation to pay the amounts
stated unless you accept this offer. The information in this letter
contains confidential and/or legally privileged information from the
notification processing department of the Domain Listing Center Inc.
This information is intended only for the use of the individual(s)
named above. Email domainlistingcenter@hotmail.com
if you do not want to receive further updates from DLC. If you are not
the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that disclosure,
copying, distribution or the taking of any action in reliance on the
contents for this letter is strictly prohibited.
* 100% satisfaction guaranteed, you may request a refund within 30 days if your are not satisfied with our services.
{SCAM #7} 04/2007 [Back to Top]
DOMAIN NAME SCAM: Here are the details about companys who are
calling domain name owners about foreign hostile take overs of your
Domain Names(s). THIS IS A SCAM!
They call to inform you that they had received a hostile application
from Canada from a guy that wanted to register several domain names
related to YourDomanName, such as YourDomanName.eu, YourDomanName.uk,
YourDomanName.cn etc. They wouldn’t tell you specifically which ones.
They say that the fellow provided his credit card details and within 24
hours after the credit card goes through, all of the domains he has
requested will be redirected to his site. That say he was very hostile
and rude and would not provide any information about himself. Once they
determined that he did not work for your company, they consulted with
their legal counsel, but have been advised they can do nothing to block
his application unless you choose to do an intervention. In this case,
they can give you a Right of First Refusal on your domain names.
However, you would have to act within an hour an a half. They say this
can only be done in England because there are no trademark laws. The
more questions you asked, the more agitated and hostile they become.
"You must act now to secure your domain names" by giving them your
credit card number.
DO NOT GIVE THESE PEOPLE YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION TO SECURE YOUR DOMAIN NAMES, THIS IS A SCAM.
If you want to secure other Global Top Level Domain (gTLD) names, please call the office at 403-686-1169.
Below is a list of companies involved.
Cassandra Ryan
ISP Global
Tel : 55 870 716 9930
cassandraryan@ispglobal
China Internet Network approve Organization
JinYue Internet Technology Co.,Ltd
Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
Tel:+88(0)21-6427 1113
Fax:+88(0)21-6427 1117
Email: kevin@cniigov
{SCAM #8} 11/2007 [Back to Top]
A Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the UK calls telling you a "company" in the UK has filed a application with "The Internet Authority" to transfer ownership of your domain name(s) to "the company" and the ISP. They claim your domain has a trademark infringements with "the company". They won't give you the name of "the company".
The ISP claims they can fight the application and have hired lawyers on your behalf and need $1150 (or some large sum of money) to continue the fight.
They are very adamant and get quite aggressive if you don't pay, you will loss your domain name(s).
THIS IS A SCAM
If there was an enforceable trademark infringement with your domain name(s), you would have already been contacted by the true trademark holders.
{SCAM #9} 11/2007 [Back to Top]
E-worldformations.com out of the UK, is calling business:
What they are claiming:
A person from "Your City" is buying a 10 year domain name package to have all web queries forwarded to his site whenever there is a search engine (Google, Yahoo, MSN) query with "Your Company Name"
Now they were just letting you know and there was no pressure on their part to do anything else with this....they just wanted to inform you that this is what was happening.
However, they very nicely at the end state that there may be a way around this and that is because it is our company name etc. we would be given priority for its use and could therefore "get this done" for you thereby not allowing this other person to do so. For a fee of $xxx.xx
On the other hand they did state that because there are no laws in the UK etc regarding this and there is nothing stopping him from going elsewhere. For a fee they will do their best to put a stop to it.
THIS IS A SCAM
THERE IS NO WAY THEY CAN RE-DIRECT THE SEARCH ENGINES AWAY FROM YOUR SITE, if there is a link to your website in the search engines, only the search engine can change that, they can not.
{SCAM #10} 1/2008 [Back to Top]
Front Running is rampant on the internet. DO NOT SEARCH FOR DOMAIN NAME AVAILABILITY ON DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION WEBSITES. Even Reputable Domain Name Registrars are now doing this.
Front Running is the practice where a registrar will capture domain name searches on their website. If you don't register the domain to yourselves right then and there, the registrar will register the domain name to themselves and move it to their domain names for sale website, most likely at very inflated prices.
Call Netmatrix if you are looking to register a domain name. We have a tool that can search for the availablity of a domain name without alerting anyone else that your interested in a particular domain name. THIS SERVICE IS FREE
{Below is a statment issued by a ICANN acredited Registrar. The name of the "Reputable Domain Name Registrar" replaced by "REGISTRAR"}
Dear Valued Customer,
We understand that there is a significant amount of misinformation being circulated about REGISTRAR recently initiated customer protection measure. We want to take this opportunity to set the record straight.
Is REGISTRAR “Front Running�?
REGISTRAR is not front running. We’ve implemented a customer protection measure to help defend our customers against the actions of “front runners� -- people who register domain names known to have been searched, for the purpose of monetizing them and then selling them at inflated prices either directly to the customer who searched for the domain or through aftermarket channels.
The REGISTRAR customer protection measure holds the searched domains on REGISTRAR'S homepage and domain search page for up to 4 days so customers can take the time to decide whether to register the domain name. These searched domains are available for purchase at REGISTRAR’S regular rates - not for inflated prices as has been falsely stated. This includes being purchased via your Partner Portal or XML API accounts at your regular contract price.
Is REGISTRAR selling reserved names in the secondary market?
REGISTRAR is not registering these names after the 4 day reservation period with the intent of selling them in the secondary market. Likewise, we’re not placing any advertisements on these domains to monetize their traffic while they are in the reservation period.
We can not stress strongly enough that we are taking these measures with the intention of protecting our customers. We have received numerous complaints from customers and Partners about front running. Our complaints to the industry regulators fell on deaf ears. We were left with little else to do but to try and protect customers from industry front runners. Inevitably, there will always be a vocal few that assume only the worst and blatantly mischaracterize our actions and in some instances make patently false statements.
{Sample of the fraudulent email YOU RECEIVE NOTHING OF VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY}
Domain Notification Central
DNC
130 Church Street Suite280
New York, NY 10007
Web: www.domainnotificationcentral.com
Email: support@domainnotificationcentral.com
Phone: 1-800-270-59XX
FINAL NOTICE
ATT: Your Name
ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACT
email@YourDomainName.COM
Address:
Phone:
Notice Tracking Number: 19664
Please be advised that the above noted domain name has now become available for registration.
Consequently the possibility of a conflicting domain registration may occur.
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE UNITED STATES LEGAL CODE
TITLE 15, Sec 1125. False descriptions, and dilution of Trademarks and the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)
Be advised: Protecting a domain name registrant or trademark owner from
confusing and/or conflicting domain name registrations is not the
responsibility of the domain and trademark registration processes. In
the event of a registration of the above noted domain by a third party,
the UDRP may be applied under the following conditions.
Evidence of Registration and Use in Bad Faith. - For the purposes of Paragraph 4(a)(iii), the following circumstances, in particular but without limitation, if found by the Panel to be present, shall be evidence of the registration and use of a domain name in bad faith:
(i) circumstances indicating that the domain name registered or
acquired the domain name primarily for the purpose of selling, renting,
or otherwise transferring the domain name registration to the
complainant who is the owner of the trademark or service mark or a
competitor of that complainant, for valuable consideration in excess of
your documented out-of-pocket costs directly related to the domain
name; or
(ii) the domain name has been registered in order to prevent the owner
of the trademark or service mark from reflecting the mark in a
corresponding domain name, provided that you have engaged in a pattern
of such conduct; or
(iii) the domain name has been registered primarily for the purpose of
disrupting the business of a competitor; or (iv) by using the domain
name, registrant has intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial
gain, Internet users to their web site or other on-line location, by
creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant's mark as to
the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement or your web site
or location or of a product or service of a web site or location.
In addition to remedies provided for by the URDP, section 4a (1)(2)(3) & b (1)(2)(3)(4) existing registrants, trademark and service mark owners are provided by DNC on domain names that are identical with new ccTLD, TLD extentions, or domain names that are confusingly similar to their own.
You are required to advise the Domain Notification Central of your intent to license this name on or before the expiration of this notice.
Note: you may disregard this notice. If you disregard this notice or fail to reply:
(a) The licensing rights of this domain name may be assigned to any other applicant,
(b) DNC and or any ICANN accredited registrar will not be liable for
loss of domain name license, identical or confusingly similar use of
your company's domain name; or interruption of business activity or
business losses.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
If you fail to reply to DNC this domain may be registered by any third party without further notice.
You must advise us of your intent to (a) secure this domain name or (b)
to leave this domain name available for Public Registration.
Call 1-800-270-59XX
Notice Tracking Number: 19664
The information in this letter contains confidential and/or legally privilegedinformation from the notification processing department of the DNC . This information is intended only for the use of the individual(s) named above. Email support@domainupdates.us if you do not want to receive further updates from DNC . If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that disclosure, copying, distribution or the taking of any action in reliance on the contents forthis letter is strictly prohibited.