Domain name renewal scams aren't new - our clients have been dealing with them for years - but I figured it would be helpful to warn you about them again. A Google search brings up thousands of examples of these renewal scammes and schemes.
The usual way this works, known as domain slamming, is fairly basic, and works just about the same way telephone slammers do. Companies with very questionable ethics download millions of WHOIS records for domain registration information and domain expiry dates. Then, a few months before the domain expires, they snail mail or e-mail a very official looking and sounding document or message that tells them to protect their valuable name by renewing early. Here are a couple of scanned examples.
Of course, when the domain owner sends the check or pays by credit card, thinking they are doing the right thing, what actually happens is that a registrar transfer is initiated. The registrant will then go through the steps to complete the transfer, because they think they're doing the correct thing in response to the (fake) renewal notice they received.
You can protect yourself fairly simply. Here's a few recommendations:
- WHOIS Privacy. This is the best and safest protection. It stops these scamming slammers because there is no way for them to contact you directly.
- Domain locking. A locked domain can’t be transferred, again, preventing the domain slam. By default, Tech Experts locks all client domains to protect them against accidental transfer.
Also, always make sure you know your registration administration information, such as your domain login and password.