Have you ever received an email asking you to renew your domain from a company you have never heard of before? If so, you are not alone. There are companies that send emails like this every day in the hopes of taking over the ownership or getting money for a false domain renewal. Emails like this are simple but the primary goal is to create confusion so you just take action. Here are some helpful tips on identifying and protecting yourself against a domain scam.
How to Spot a Domain Renewal Scam
There are many different types of domain scams, here are just a few to be on the lookout for.
- Similar Domains
If you receive an invoice or email, make sure to check the domain carefully. It could be extremely close to your domain, for example, if your domain is example.com the invoice could be for examples.com or exmple.com. The scammer hopes that you don’t notice the difference and just pay the invoice.
- Wrong Register
The domain could be correct but it's coming from the wrong register company. One instance would be if you have registered your domain through godaddy.com but the notification or invoice is from a fake or different company. Make sure you are only working with the correct register.
- Incorrect Expiration Date
A notification could tell you that there are only a few days until your domain expires. The goal is to create fear that you will lose your domain if you don't act now. Often times, the expiration date is incorrect. So, make sure you know when your domain will actually expire.
How to Protect Yourself from Domain Scams
It's important to protect yourself from a domain scam. In most domain scams, confusion is the biggest goal. Here are a few things you can do to make sure you don't get confused or caught by a domain scam.
- Know Your Register
A domain register is an organization where your domain is housed. A few common domain registers are Network Solutions, Go Daddy and Register.com. There are many others but these are the common ones.
- Set the Administrative Contact
Once a domain is registered to an organization, ensure that an administrative contact within your organization is added to the domain. This person should be familiar with the domain and be able to make decisions regarding renewals.
- Work with Your Website Company
If you have a single point of contact for all things related to your website you know who you are working with. If you receive a contact outside of that company it's easier to spot a scam but more importantly, you can trust your domain will be returned in a timely manner.
If you need help determining who your domain registrar is or if an email you received is a scam, contact us today.
