Domain Name Registrar Scam – Don’t fall for this bait and switch trick

It looks like a real invoice…in fact, it is a real invoice, just not from a company with which you do business.

How Do Registrars Trick You To Moving Your Domain Name Over To Their Company Without Your Knowledge?

Many businesses do not know who originally registered the domain name for their website  or know which domain registrar company was used. This registration may have been performed by an employee who is no longer with your company or who kept poor records. Taking advantage of people’s lack of knowledge in this area, unscrupulous registrars send invoices containing publicly available information on a domain in an effort to get them to switch to their service (usually at a higher cost that they are paying now). However, this offer is disguised as a domain name renewal notice so that if the invoice is paid, the individual innocently hands over (transfers) the responsibility for the administration of their domain name to the new dishonest company. Make sure that you know who your domain registrar is, and if you are in doubt about an invoice or email you receive about expiration dates or renewals , forward it (with a covering note) to your registrar and ask for advice. If you are a Bower Web Solutions client, you can always call us for advice before blindly paying an invoice to which you are unsure about.

Here are some other useful tips to avoid this from happening to you:

1. Keep a note of your domain registrar username and password in a secure location.
2. Choose a reliable registrar with a good reputation.
3. Use the domain “locking” option for added security.
4. Make sure you renew important domains well before the come due, or even set up auto-renew so that you need not be concerned about renewal. A different issue  we have seen more and more is the purchase of domains very soon after they expire and followed by the attempt to sell them back for thousands of dollars.

Bower Web Solutions handles domain registration for many of our clients and offers one point of contact for domain name registration, hosting, web development and email. Bower Web Solutions makes the Net work for you.