SmartGoat:  Defending Your Domain

     by Billy Mabray     April 2006
 

In recent years, it has become easy for anybody to own their own domain name (e.g. www.smartgoat.com).  It’s also cheaper now than ever before, with many web hosting companies offering free domains when you sign up. As with anything else, however, you have to watch out for scams. Some companies target new domain owners with false or misleading advertising and pushy sales tactics. Here are some common scams to watch out for:

• Renewal “Invoices” – There are dozens of domain name registrars and a few of them use this trick. They mail you what looks like an invoice to renew your domain name. It is not an invoice – it’s an attempt to get you to transfer your domain registration to them.
• Listing Services – Another “invoice” you might receive is from a listing service. They claim you need to renew your listing to keep your web site in their directory. This is also not a real invoice, nor is it a service you need or want. They may or may not run an actual directory – it doesn’t matter, because it’s not a directory anyone uses, or has even heard of.
• Deceptive Phone Calls – At least one company calls domain owners claiming they need to update their registration. What they actually want to do is sell you another domain name that is similar to yours. For example, if you have www.example.com, they want to sell you www.example.info. If you decline, they will “warn” you that you could lose your domain name. That is not true – it will not affect your example.com name at all. What they really mean is you won’t get your name with the .info extension, which you probably don’t need anyway.

These are just a few of the common domain name scams to look out for. You can protect yourself by taking a few precautions:

• Know your registrar – When you register your domain name, make a note of which company you are doing business with. If you get an “invoice” for your domain registration from a different company, throw it away.
• Look them up – Before you pay any company for services related to your domain, do a web search on their name and find out what other people are saying about them. You might also contact the Better Business Bureau to find out if any complaints have been filed against that company.
• Ask questions – If someone calls wanting you to update or change your domain registration, ask for their name, phone number, and the company they represent. This will make most scam artists hang up immediately. If they claim to be from your domain registrar, go to the web site where you registered your domain and contact them to verify.
• Read the fine print – When you register your domain, be sure to read the user agreement, terms of service, and privacy policy. With most registrars, the domain name you register is yours. Some companies that offer free domains, though, will put themselves as the owner of the domain. This makes it very difficult for you if you decide to move your registration somewhere else.
• Get a private registration – For an additional fee, most registrars offer private registration, which means your contact information is not available in the online directories of domain name owners. This makes it harder for a scam artist to contact you.

Domain ownership is like anything else in life – a little knowledge goes a long way. If you know who you are dealing with and what your rights are, then no one will be able to usurp your domain.

Billy Mabray and his wife, Angela, own Smart Goat, a local software
development and Web design business.  They are members of the CCOKC. Comments or questions on the article are welcome and can be addressed to:   billy@smartgoat.com.