Don't get scammed by the scammers
Tech Talk

Do you own a website? Do you own your domain name? There are numerous scams out there that target website and domain name owners.

Website Scams

SEO: Emails that suggest that your site can rank 1st or even 1st page are usually scams. They will find an obscure phrase that is unique to your website to prove it ranks high. The thing is that nobody actually searches on those terms. Even the terms you thing should rank high might not. The best factors to concentrate on are quality, unique and fresh content.

Copyright infringement: This is a more recent scam where you will receive an email saying that your site contains there images and to click on a link to see the list. They will make numerous threats and swear under. penalty of perjury that you are using their content. Always make sure any content you use is yours or you have permission to use it.

Domain Name Scams

The usual scam is to send an actual letter in the mail saying your domain is about to expire and to renew by sending a cheque or enter your credit card information and mail it back. The rate they specify for a single year are typically 3 to 4 times higher that normal. Tear up the letter.

The second type is along the same vein only via email. If it is not from your domain registrar, ignore it. If you do not know who your registrar is, then use a whois is lookup tool such as https://lookup.icann.org/. This will tell you who the registrar is and where your DNS servers are located.

Your best protection is to simply use automatic renewal and keep your credit card information up to date. If you do this, I suggest having a second credit card with the lowest limit possible just for online purchases so that your CC information on your main card is not exposed.

One point of caution is DO NOT ignore emails from your actual registrar about upcoming renewals. You could lose your domain name or pay a penalty for late renewal. You have a 30 day grace period to renew after expiry after which anyone can purchase the domain.

If you are unsure if it is a scam or not, you can always contact the authour of this article for assistance in determining what you should do.