Be on the lookout for emails that look like bills for domain name renewal and read them carefully as chances are they are part of a fraudulent scam.
Do you or does your company own more than one domain name? If you’re like us and are big into SEO you probably own quite a few, maybe even a whole bundle. Scammers have caught onto this domain buying trend and are banking on the probability that many people don’t keep track of where and when they’ve registered these domains. Well, scammers we hate to break it to you but as experienced Nashville IT consultants we’ve caught onto your scheming tactics.
So how exactly are these scammers doing it? Basically they are targeting domain owners by sending them a very official looking email claiming that the receiver of the email owes money. The email is made to look like a legitimate invoice with your name and/or address listed sent from a seemingly official business such as “DNS Services” (see picture to the right). The “invoice” directs you to click on a link to pay $50 or more or else your domain name will expire.
Do not fall for this trap! This is merely a sales pitch in disguise. While typically these types of spam offers are sent via mail clearly stamped with a notice that reads “Not a Bill”, it is much harder to detect the authenticity of the email versions. If you should happen across such an email use your utmost scrutiny as the name of the business on the email will likely change as the scam evolves.
As your favorite Nashville IT consultants here are some helpful tips for distinguishing whether a domain name expiration notice is real or fake:
Carefully check the website address. If the domain name listed on the invoice is similar to your actual domain name but is off by a few letters or has a different ending such as .net instead of .com it’s likely an indication that it’s fake.
Check the names of your providers. Figure out whether the name on the bill actually matches the business that originally sold you your domain name.
Look for other suspicious signs. Domain registration fees are generally in the $10 to $15 ballpark so if the invoice is asking for $50 plus or is requesting you make payment to a personal email address or third party provider such as PayPal, it’s without a doubt a hoax.
If you are having trouble detecting the legitimacy of the email, contact your local Nashville IT consultants for a professional assessment. To avoid the hassle of trying to identify fraudulent emails like these in the future, register all your domain names under one single business such as GoDaddy.com. That way you’ll be able to tell right of the bat just by looking at the name on the invoice.