Have you opened the mail and found a letter from Domain Registry? While this may appear to be an official renewal notice, it is a scam intended to trick website owners into transferring their domain to their registry service, all at a much higher cost than normal. Additionally, Domain Registry makes it very difficult to transfer the domain back to a legitimate registrar.
Let’s get a few things out of the way. Domains are purchased and managed organizations called “registrars.” These include GoDaddy.com, Network Solutions, and Name.com. When a domain name is up for renewal, the registrar will inform the website owner, usually with an email, that they needed to take action to avoid losing their domain.
Scammers like Domain Registry access domain information, such as expiration dates and ownership, through online domain registries. Then the scammers search the internet for your business’ mailing address and send you the notice.
If you receive one of these notices, simply do not pay and dispose of the notice.
Paying your registrar to have your domain privately registered is an option if you have concerns about someone potentially stealing your domain information. It costs a few more dollars each year but can potentially bring you peace of mind.
As a website owner, keep track of where you bought your domain. That way when this letter comes, you’ll be confident that your domain is secure.
