Consistency in your web site domain name is critical for consumer trust.

A couple weeks ago I renewed my subscription to Forbes by sending in a business reply mail postcard. I checked the box to extend the subscription, wrote my credit card number in the appropriate spot, and dropped it in the mail.

Today I received an email purportedly from Forbes asking me to confirm my subscription and re-enter my credit card details. I’m 99% sure this is a legitimate email, especially since the link in the e-mail sends me to a page pre-populated with my name and address. But there are several problems with the e-mail that erode my confidence, and would likely turn off many other subscribers.

1. The return address is Forbes@xmr3.com. Here’s what you see when you go xmr3.com:

As it turns out, xmr3.com belongs to an email marketing company that Forbes has outsourced subscription emails to. But the domain looks spammy and phishy, and certainly isn’t as professional as having the email address as Forbes.com or something similar.

2. The link in the email takes you to BuySub.com.

Forbes.com also links to BuySub.com for subscription services, so clearly it uses it for subscription fulfillment. BuySub.com is owned by CDS Global, a Hearst company, that provides subscription fulfillment services. But it’s still a red flag. Worse, when you just type in BuySub.com you get a 403 error. Why not have some text on BuySub.com that explains what the site is, and that the magazine that referred you to the site uses BuySub.com for fulfillment?

3. The page the email link sends to mentions new subscriptions, not renewals. Here’s what it says:

“Thank you for choosing Forbes! Delivery of your subscription will begin in 6 to 8 weeks. Please confirm the information below.”

It then has a start date in January, which is actually the first issue of my new term. So Forbes only has one generic confirmation page for both renewals and new subscriptions. That’s another thing that would make me suspicious about the validity of the email — if I wasn’t good at web research.

That’s three strikes against the email’s credibility. So I’m not going to fill in my credit card information again, as it asks me to do on the BuySub.com web site. If Forbes wants to renew my subscription, it can do it with the information I provided on the postcard. Otherwise, I’ll let my subscription lapse.

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