Jen's Blog - Rants & Raves...things you may, or may not want to know :)
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I get calls and emails from clients all the time asking if we started using an
outside billing service. This is a major red flag. These bills clients
receive are from companies trying to get your business or worse, your
credit card information. Read on...
Caution, if you receive a domain name renewal notice by mail or e-mail and it isn't from
Websites & More, be careful! The notice is probably a fraudulent mailing.
Many of our clients have received 'official-looking' domain renewal invoices from a variety of different companies. There are many companies registering domain names and some have engaged in questionable business practices aimed at getting you to renew your domain through
them. You must read the fine print on these letters. The fine print
will say something like, "If you pay this invoice we have the right
to transfer your domain away from your current domain registrar, and you
agree to pay us this fee $???". In some cases the fine print will
say, you also agree to host your website with us for a minimum of 12
months for $??? a month. They fill in the ??? with whatever they want. This
is illegal and scary, but they do it everyday!
How they run the scams:
1. You receive a domain expiration notice in the mail. This bogus invoice lists your domain name(s) with an amount to be paid and a date to
renew by.
2. You or someone in your organization responds to the notice and sends a payment by check or credit
card to this sneaky company.
3. No confirmation request E-mail is sent to you to authorize the transfer.
4. A transfer request is submitted to the registry and the transfer process begins.
When you choose to transfer your domain name from your current registrar to another
registrar, it is that registrar's responsibility to get your authorization before processing the transfer.
By paying the invoice from the sneaky company you have "legally"
given your authorization for them to transfer your domain. They can now complete the transfer of your domain without further confirmation or knowledge from you.
Once this happens, the only way to get your domain back is to transfer it back, and pay for an additional year's
renewal and transfer fee.
What these 'Renewal Scams' could mean to you:
If you renew your domain(s) by responding to one of these phony renewal notices, the following could happen:
· Loss of domain name and or hosting services with Websites & More.
· Cost you more money (renewal and transfer fees).
· Make it difficult or impossible to modify domain registration information.
· Loss of domain name ownership and/or activity of web site hosting and E-mail.
Some Fraud Related FAQ's:
The following provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the domain name registration solicitation mailings
that you may receive. If you have asked for our managed domain name
services, they (the criminals) can not get your mailing address from
the whois database. Just another way we work to protect you from
fraud.
What is Fraudulent Invoicing for Domains?
We want to help you prevent your domain name registration from being moved to another company by being tricked into renewing with another provider. If you receive mail that appears to be an
invoice that is not from Websites & More, which is in fact a solicitation for business, you may be the target of a fraudulent or false invoicing scheme.
What kind of companies are making these solicitations?
There are a number of domain registration companies looking to grow their businesses by stealing business from other companies. While we welcome fair competition in the marketplace, some companies believe the best way to win business is to solicit existing domain name registrants from other companies. Wherever possible, these companies will target registrants and trick them into moving their domain registration
business to them. Worse case scenarios, they are not companies at all they
could be thieves trying to get your credit card information.
What should I do to avoid being tricked into transferring my domain away from Websites & More?
The best way to combat this is to simply IGNORE all communications regarding your domain name that do
NOT come from Websites & More. Your domain name renewal fees
will be included on your monthly invoice as always, and we will never
outsource our billing department.
What can I do if I'm already a victim?
The first thing you should do is contact the payment authority. If you wrote
this company a check - cancel it. If you gave them a credit card number,
call your credit card company and explain what happened. If you are a
client of Websites & More
and you or an employee at your company, has responded to one of these
invoices, please notify us immediately and we will watch the status of
your domain(s) very closely and try to help you resolve the situation.
How can I combat an incident of solicitation?
Report the incident to Websites & More and the appropriate authorities!! Proactively combating these sorts of unscrupulous
(criminal) business practices is the only way to ensure these companies are stopped. This will not only help you, but all
domain name registrants, to enjoy the freedom to choose your domain name provider and to be free from solicitations designed to deceive
you and take your property.
Reporting Mail Fraud - To The Proper Authorities...
It's against the law to send mail that looks like an invoice and not have it marked clearly as a solicitation.
This is so common - and scary.
Report your incident at the
United States Postal Inspection Service On-line Complaints web site at:
USPS
Fraud Reporting
File a complaint with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (FBI)
The Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).
You can file a complaint with them online at: http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/
Cheers,
 Jen
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