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Don't be conned by these scams!
Bogus Renewal Notices
Some companies send out official looking domain
name "renewal invoices". These "invoices" look so real that many unsuspecting registrants are conned into thinking they are about to lose their domain name if they don't pay. Make no mistake,
these cleverly worded documents are designed to trick you. It's usually only when you read the small print you realise they are not valid invoices at all but high-pressure sales pitches.
Buried in the small print you will find words like: "This notice is not a bill, rather an easy means of payment should you decide to register or renew your domain(s) with us".
It gets worse!
If you do pay these companies you may be authorising them to transfer your domain
name to another Registrar. This may cause loss of your email and web hosting services. Caveat Emptor applies. (Let the buyer beware).
Bogus Telephone Sales
If you are telephoned with the offer of a domain name you should check the details very carefully before agreeing to anything.
There are various companies using high pressure telesales
techniques who will cold-call you with comments like, 'someone is trying to register your domain name and you should get in first',
or 'your domain name is due for renewal and you might lose it if you don't renew it right now' or 'we thought we should warn you
that someone is trying to register your name'. Treat these calls as suspect if they come from a company you don't know.
Companies who register your name in their name
Some companies will take your instructions and then register the name you want in their own name. Some do this out of ignorance,
but some may do it so they can hold you to ransom in the future. Whilst there is nothing illegal in someone registering a domain name to themselves and then leasing it to someone else, if you
have specifically requested you are named as the Registrant, make sure you are. Check the WHOIS details immediately after you register any domain name with anybody. You can do this by
going to the web site of the relevant Registry. For instance, go to www.nic.uk domains like .co.uk, .me.uk, .org.uk etc. If you don't
know where to look, do a quick search for "registry" and the domain you want to find our more about on www.google.com.
Don't be conned. Here are the facts.
- If you already have a domain name ending in .uk the
company who originally registered it for you will be reminded by Nominet UK that they need to renew it for you. However, if they choose not to renew the registration
for some reason, Nominet will try to contact you direct before taking any further action. The most important thing is to make sure you keep your contact details up to date
with your original domain name registration company. These details are stored in the Nominet WHOIS database.
- If your domain name ends in .com (or net, info, biz etc.)
the same applies. The company who registered it for you, will get a reminder of renewal from the appropriate Registry. Unfortunately with .coms, some Top Level
Registries will contact you direct about renewal and this can cause confusion too.
- Whatever happens, no matter what you get from any other
company, we recommend you contact the Company who did the original registration on your behalf. If you cannot contact them or don't want to for some reason, you can
contact a company of your choice and ask them how you transfer the name to them. Different Registries have different rules but any reputable company will be able to
advise you on all the Rules and Regulations. It's a minefield... tread carefully.
If
all else fails, and you don't know what to do, contact Name Dropper. We're always happy to advise and help where we can.
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