Domain Name Expiration Scam
Apr 15th, 2010 | By Anet Dunne | Category: Featured Articles, Marketing
Don’t fall victim to the misleading Domain Name Expiration Notice that Domain Registry of America mails out.
I register and manage my own domain names, and the domain names of many of my clients, at several registrars. Domain Registry of America is not one of them. I received a misleading “Domain Name Expiration Notice” from DROA for my own domain name indicating $30 to renew for a year, TRIPLE my current rate. A quick glance at the DROA Domain Name Expiration Notice does not reveal that the domain name is not registered with them. The notice is designed to confuse non-technical people into TRANSFERRING the domain name to DROA, and to pay triple the normal rate.
Then a client called. She received a DROA Domain Name Expiration Notice for their company domain name and she was puzzled because she paid me annually for the domain name. I’m glad she manages accounts so carefully and remembers annual payments. This kind of diligence is not widespread and DROA is preying on this. DROA even highlights “Reply Requested By” in a way that looks like “Payment Due By” and the date is several months before expiration so that TRANSFER can take place before normal renewal procedures kick in!
Beware of mailings from DROA. It is easy for them to get the address of the owners of domain names. My client originally reserved the domain name through the Yellow Pages (yikes!) and it took quite a bit of work to get it back from them, but I have managed the name for years. Unfortunately, this information continues to be on a contact database and the mailings will continue. Don’t fall victim to this misleading Domain Name Expiration Notice. It is predatory .
I received another DROA Domain Name Expiration Notice today. This time, for a domain name that I created, and has never been with DROA. Very troubling.
What company is the best Domain Registrar? i’ve heard that Godaddy and Moniker are the best.~`-
I think GoDaddy would be confusing for a beginner to use because they bombard you with so many add-ons — it could be difficult to navigate the first few times through. GoDaddy is one of the registrars I use, however. If you can hack your way through their advertising, they have full functionality. Have you read my blogpost on Choosing a Domain Name?
Here’s an article on the hacking of WordPress sites on GoDaddy. While I use GoDaddy for some domain name registrations, I would never recommend them for WordPress hosting http://www.wpsecuritylock.com/exploit-on-wordpress-returns-go-daddy-responds/ Same for Network Solutions.
That above is a pseudonym that I use in lieu of real name. However the rest is dinkum, verdad, pravda, recht! not only that its a fact, Jack!
This outfit sent me a letter like that. They get the info by trolling, and I do mean TROLLING, the WHOIS database. Even then they make comical mis-spellings. The letter contains a vicious contract on the back. When you sign on the front, you give up literally all your constitutional rights on the back. On the back are their doing business as names:
Brandon Gray Internet Services, Inc
NameJuice, Inc.
eNom, Inc
DROA, Inc
and the front page, Domain Registry of America
A call to their fone number rates a person with a Chinese accent.
Go Daddy charges me 8 bucks a year for each name. These huckleberries wanted at least thirty….and I think more down the road, plus some nasty surprises.