Once the Internet became accessible to the world, it also opened a doorway to all types of cyber scams.
This particular knowledgebase article will focus on a specific scam email that is usually sent to anyone who just registered a domain name with most, if not all registrars.
The email is sent automatically, using bot software that checks when a domain has been registered, the name of the registrant and the date the domain was registered. Since this can be publicly available, it's easy to target domain owners. Please check the image below for a sample of what the potential scam message looks like:
For this particular scam, the email will have a subject of "Domain Notification for domain.com: This is your Final Notice of Domain Listing". It creates a sense of urgency. Notice the date it was sent and the date their offer "expires".
By adding a "Response Requested By" date, they attempt to scare the user into a panic decision.
The key sentence here is "Failure to complete your Domain name search engine registration by the expiration date may result in cancellation of this offer...". That's right, "Cancellation of this offer", NOT of your Search Egine Listing. If your webmaster is handling all the Search Engine Optimization practices, then your listing is safe for search engine crawling.
What to do to prevent these scams to reach me?
There are many things you can potentially try, in order to deter some scams. However, a scammer will always find a way through other methods and practices.But as users, we can definitely make it harder for them, as well as to get smarter about identifying scams in the future.
Your first line of defense starts during your Domain Name Registration. If you haven't bought "ID Protection" for your domain name, you are most likely to receive these types of emails.
The data shown during a WHOIS search is what scammers will use to contact you, either by phone, post mail, and email.
Things to keep in mind:
If you don't remember signing up for it, chances are You Didn't do it!. Best thing you can do, is ignore and delete the message.
If you are unsure about a signup, check the email message for these signs:
- No "real" email signature
- No "unsubscribe" or anti-spam notice on email foot
- Check the email "@domain" part of the message and Google it (or whois search)
- Hover (don't click) over links, to check the address they try to take you to (and repeat as above against fraud/scams)
- Check for spelling and grammar. Re-read it carefully as it is usually focused on confusing you
- Phony names (this email example "namenname.org" - notice name n name to confuse)
While these signs are common, they aren't a set rule, as scammers are getting smarter and smarter. This particular scam uses specially worded sentences to create a sense of urgency, while at the same time making it ambiguous about the actual service they offer. This way, if any claim is made against them, it can be debated that you didn't read properly, but that it is clearly stated and you willingly paid for their "service".
If you found this article helpful, please share it with your peers to inform them. Also, if you received an email that you consider a potential scam, do a screen capture and send it to us via our suppor ticket system.
Thank you for choosing BZVweb for your professional Web Hosting needs.
