Domain Slamming - Beware
August 1st, 2008If you own a website domain and are not aware of the phrase “domain slamming”, you should be. Domain slamming is a common practice where a registrar (or possibly a domain reseller) sends a misleading renewal notice to a domain’s owner in an attempt to get them to transfer their domain away from their current registrar to the domain slammer. Usually if you read the fine print in letters or emails that are received, they clearly state that by paying the requested fee, your domain will be transferred. The problem is that many domain owners do not know who their real registrar is and get tricked into paying the renewal/transfer fee for fear that their domain is about to expire.
Domain Registry of America (DROA.com) and Liberty Names of America (LNOA.com) are well known for this practice and regularly sends official looking renewal notices to unsuspecting owners. Their methods, while unethical, are not illegal since their correspondence clearly states that the domain will be transferred if the fee is paid. The issue is that the domain owner is usually unaware of the pending transfer until after the fact and will typically pay a higher fee for the renewal than they would have through their original registrar.
There are several things you can do to minimize your exposure to scams such as this:
- Know who your current domain registrar is or who controls your domains on your behalf.
- Be cautious of any letter or email asking you to pay fees related to your domain name. Any reputable hosting company will administer and automatically renew your domains for you and any correspondence about your domains will come from them.
- Know your domain renewal dates. Put your domain renewal dates in a computer based calendar that will automatically notify you a minimum of 30 days prior to the renewal date. Even if your domain was initially registered for multiple years, the annual renewal date is a good time to verify that no unauthorized changes have occurred with your domain.
- Immediately update the contact information on your domains, especially your email address, as soon as it changes.
As a final note, variations of this scam have also been used to transfer ownership of domains away from the current owner. Remember, it is much easier (and cheaper) to maintain your current domain registrations than it is to try to get the registration back once it has been lost. Even if the information you receive looks credible and appears to be on the up and up, it is always better to be safe than sorry by verifying that the requestor is in fact working on your behalf and has your best interest at hand.
Information about the Federal Trade Commission’s actions against companies such as Domain Registry of America can be viewed on the Commission’s website at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/12/domainreg.shtm
