It starts with an ominous notice in the mail. It's an "Urgent Notice"
telling you that someone is about to register a domain name that's
identical to yours. It comes to people who've registered the "com"
version of a name, but not the "net" or "org" versions.
The notice says that you have to respond by the deadline date
(usually just a day or two after you receive it) or they will let
somebody else have the "net" and "org" versions your domain. I've
received several panicked calls from clients asking what they should do.
What they should do is throw away the notice. I think that it's just
a scam using intimidating official looking forms with legalistic
language to frighten the uninformed into parting with some money. I
think that if anybody took a close look at this scam, they would find a
thinly disguised mail fraud scheme in operation.
My favorite part was when I called the toll free number and was told
that I would be connected to a "compliance officer." I gagged over that
one.
Still, my chuckle is a less informed person's heart beating faster
and sweaty palms. They're playing with people's uninformed fears and
I'll bet that they're crossing the line into a criminal scam.
I suspect that they just search a database looking for situations
where a company has only registered the ".com" version of a name and
then they send out a notice claiming that somebody's about to register
the "net" and "org" versions. It absolutely smells like a scam.
While it is a good idea to always register "com," "net" and "org"
versions of a name, you shouldn't give these scammers your money. You
should immediately register any version that you don't have using a
reputable registrar like www.register.com.
Meanwhile, I'd like to see the Federal Trade Commission and some
state attorneys general investigate and prosecute those involved.
Mark Grossman's "TechLaw" column appears in numerous publications. Mark Grossman has extensive experience as a speaker as well. If you would like him to speak before your group or corporate meeting, please call (305) 443-8180 for information.
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