Domain Scams and Scam Emails/Letters
Your domain name is your brand, your address and often your biggest asset...
...Look after it
Many of our customers receive bogus notification requesting authorisation to use key words, to renew domain names, to purchase further domains and also regarding ownership issues.
Information regarding expiry dates of domain names is publicly available, and so anyone can know when to say "you're domain is expiring, send us a cheque and we'll renew it"
These notifications come from various companies, but not ourselves. They'll ask you to purchase/renew domain names at inflated prices.
Be warned. The majority of these e-mails/calls/letters are scams.
Example:
They're effectively poaching business from your existing domain registrar (legitimate registrars such as Domaincheck) by making it look like they're just asking you to continue an ongoing business relationship.
What's really going on is a new company is contacting you, offering to re-register your domain names, and charging you an inflated fee for this.
Another popular scam involves a company contacting you to inform you that somebody else is about to register a domain similar, but never identical, to a trademark/domain you hold.
The company says it's a courtesy call to see whether you'd like to buy the domain name, otherwise they'll sell it to the other party.
The trick here, of course, is that there isn't another customer.
The registrar is cold-calling you and offering to register a domain name you don't need, usually for a large fee and scaring you by suggesting someone else will get it if you don't.
Be wary of companies offering to sell you a domain similar to one you own for a large fee. Chances are this domain has never been registered, and if you want it, it will be available from a legitimate registar at the standard rate. You can check domain name availability using the domain checker on this site.
Our advice if your domain is registered with us is to ignore this type of correspondence unless it comes from:
- Domaincheck
- Zebrahosts
- Zebra Web Design
- Nominet
- eNom
- CentralNic
Domaincheck, and all associated parties logos can be seen on the Domaincheck website.
Any other notifications should be disregarded or if in doubt a simple email to them to verify their authenticity should confirm to you weather they are legitimate or not.
If you don't recognise the company who sends you requests regarding your online services feel free to call us to double check.
We have had reports from numerous customers telling us about one company in particular who are sending out false or misleading postal letters asking for renewal fees.
If you do make payment to these companies your domain will be moved away from Domaincheck.
Finally, if you think you may have been scammed feel free to call us, quoting your customer number and we can investigate. If required we'll put you in touch with the appropriate people to deal with the situation.
