Man tried physically force domain owner to transfer the domain name.
A Cedar Rapids, Iowa man will head to prison for 20 years for trying to steal a domain name, the Associated Press reports.
By steal a domain name, I mean physically.
Sherman Hopkins Jr. broke into a man’s home on June 21, 2017 with a handgun and demanded that the resident transfer the domain name DoItForState.com to another account, the AP reports. He shot the man with the gun and used a stun gun, but then the man got control of the gun and shot Hopkins back.
Domain name theft happens all of the time, but rarely does it involve a physical altercation. Usually, it’s a matter of stealing someone’s domain name registrar credentials or hacking into their email.
JZ says
20 years for a terrible domain.
Sigma says
That was a subpar domain name at best, but Im not surprised by the lengths that people would go to gain possession of valuable assets. People steal cars, TVs, rob banks, steal jewelry, etc. all the time. Some domains are worth less than their registration price, while others like Cars.com are worth nearly $1BN!
That’s why I’m surprised insurance isn’t offered on certain classes of domain names; in the future, some would be willing to commit felonies to own prime e-Real Estate…
Joshua Schoen says
This is definitely not the same 20-year plan as the one Rick Schwartz had for domains lol
Acro says
Best comment ever! 🙂
valpotim says
Lol
Pete Skeeterdom says
I had a guy show up in the pouring rain on my front porch many years ago. Drove about 70 miles to my house after losing a domain he had forgot to pay for. He had a good attitude and was kind but at first I was wondering if I was going to have to protect myself.
In the case you mentioned it seems like it was a political domain so maybe his passions were running hot over something political.
John says
Seriously Pete, you gonna leave us hanging about how that turned out? 😀
Steve says
I’ve heard stories of people showing up at the homes of domain owners, uninvited, to convince the owner(s) to either give them the coveted domain or to sell them for low price(s). The guy who founded TMZ claims that’s how he got TMZ.com at such a low price.
Crazy stuff.
Leo Golan says
Crazy story. And why this domain??
Data Glasses says
Would have only got one year for a new gtld
webhostuk says
This is most wired domain stealing story I have heard in my life. But I feel rules should be strict for such activities.. and thats good.