February 8, 2008
Warning about Domain Name Renewal Scam

Our Domain Name Registration Partner, Tucows, has brought to our attention a domain name renewal scam that is currently making the rounds. This scam is not new, but Registrants continue to fall victim to this practice on a daily basis.

The scam works this way: unethical companies monitor the publicly accessible WHOIS database and obtain registrant contact information as well as domain expiry dates. Using the information, they mail domain Registrants an official looking document, months in advance of the renewal date, encouraging the Registrant to renew the name now to protect themselves from losing that domain name. When the Registrant renews the name by paying the invoice, the domain is not only renewed, but a Registrar transfer is initiated to the unscrupulous Registrar.

There are a number of ways to combat the practice:
• Enable WHOIS Privacy. This is the absolute best protection, stopping the scam dead in its tracks as there is no way for the scammer to contact the Registrant directly. You can learn more about WHOIS Privacy here.

• Use domain locking. A locked domain can't be transferred, again, preventing the scam from working. Domain locking is included with our management interface. Just log-in here.

• If you are in an office environment or more than one person reads mail and pays bills, let them know about this scam. Ensure that everyone in your office know who their Reseller and Registrar are, and if ever in doubt, just contact us.