If you get one of these emails, just delete it.
Heads up — the ever-evolving domain name appraisal scam now tries to draw on the reputation of Sedo.
The latest iterations of the scam starts with an email sent through (or apparently sent through) GoDaddy’s new Whois contact system. Once the domain name owner responds, the fake domain buyer broker demands that the person purchase an appraisal before they send funds for the domain name. It’s a spin on many classic scams in which people promise to send money to someone, but need them to send a small verification payment to them first.
A DNW reader received one such email that claims it’s a Sedo certified offer. It’s a bit odd that the scammers would name Sedo since Sedo offers its own domain appraisals. And an astute observer will note that a) Sedo and GoDaddy are not partners and b) Sedo is not a retail domain name registrar.
But these emails are not aimed at astute observers who know who all of the domain name companies are.
Here’s the latest follow up email:
From: <support@authorize-incorporated .net>
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2020, 19:27
Subject: RE: Someone would like to contact you about your domain.
To:
Hello!
Our offer has been finally verified by SEDO so we can write each other direct now. Since it’s a SEDO certified offer you will be protected during the transaction.
My name is Elizabeth Kristiansen. I work as a broker of International merchants in a merchant provider company – Authorize Inc.(Norwegian Subsidiary). We help our VIP clients to establish a business online (secure domain, develop a web site and establish our payment system). I will help you to finish the sale of your domain.
I represent a buyer – a company from Bergen. They want to use it to drive more traffic to their new web project. Commission of our company is only six percent. It’s paid when you get the money.
They will pay you via the Escrow / Swiss Escrow service. You can be paid via wire, Paypal, check or any other method you prefer.
The buyer offers $60,000 usd.
Do you have a law compliance certificate for Norway? It’s required by his registrar SEDO (partner of GoDaddy) to protect the buyer.
The final sale price will depend on the certificate ($60,000 minimum – if it comes higher they will pay more).
If you don’t have the certificate it’s not a problem. You can order it online.
The certification must be from a source authorized by SEDO and contains a copy in Norwegian.
The certification includes the following:
1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher, he will increase the price accordingly. In the domain name industry, there are many appraisal tools that people use to estimate the value of a domain name. My client does not want to risk and doesn’t accept services that use scripts. If you are unsure about some service feel free to ask me.
2. TM and law compliance verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It’s not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.
3. Copy in Norwegian.
The process is very easy:
1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will help you to get a better valuation.
If your domain is worth at least $10000, they will send you the payment instructions. If it’s not possible, they won’t send you the instructions. This way you will not lose anything. It’s very convenient and gives you the full protection. Other services charge you upfront even if your domain is not worth spending the appraisal fee, so I don’t recommend them.
2. Send the certificate to me and we will start the sale process. As soon as the buyer receives your certificate they will buy your domain.
If you are new to the certification process, I can help you with the step by step instructions.
To read the review you must have Telegram Messenger installed on your smartphone. To communicate with me online please use Telegram messenger. Here is the invitation link to our Domain Sale Group: https:// t.me/ dnsales
Add me ( @ ElizaSupport ) to your contacts and we will be able to chat in Telegram. If you don’t have Telegram you may install it on your smartphone from Google Play or AppStore.
One of my sellers already sold to this buyer from Oslo. You may read his review at https://t.me/dnsales/1754 Feel free to contact him.
Please respond ASAP. No risk for you to proceed since this is a certified by SEDO domain offer with full proof of funds. If you send the certificate the buyer will have to pay you the same day.
Elizabeth Kristiansen
Vice President
Investor Relations
Drammensveien 149
0277
Oslo, Norway
Authorize Inc. (Norwegian Subsidiary)
Something similar happened to me and I lost my money.
How much did you lost?!I also recived this email today !
Lost about 500 in ETH…but lesson well learned as I was able to trace and photograph where the funds went
Thank you for the info. I just received the exact same email. It looks like a scam from a distance! Specially because they are asking for money before sending any. Thank God for the internet community, that is always updated. !!
Same thing happened to me. Same exact email. Went along with it for a day and when I started asking too many questions and refusing to pay, they started swearing at me and telling me how they f*d me good. Total scam.
I received 2 of these scam offers..the 1st purported to be someone representing themselves as an Domain attorney for a buyer in Japan…The 2nd used the exact same wording but from “Israel”…when I emailed them back saying I that they were scammers…never heard another word…I own domains on Go Daddy..so I notified them that these were scammers…On the 1st one..I did pay for the certificate..but because I was being such a pain in the axx…they allowed me access to their cryptocurrency so they could verify my payment…I copied everything I could…even tracking where my cryptocurrency was eventually transferred out to…am turning this over to the FBI…still have the link in my email
This seemed super fishy when I got this offer. My domain is listed for sale at $249 and they offered $60,000. Ha.
Glad to know it wasn’t just me!
Just happened to me today! Thank God I searched around to check the legitimacy of this “offer.” Like Megan, my domain is listed at $247 and they offered the same $60K. Absolutely… NO! All of these have happened in the last few days.
I just got an email from them today; GoDaddy sent me a notice saying someone is trying to contact me and they are obligated to share that. So I sent an email to the email address ending
and they responded they are offering me $60k.
Obviously it seemed strange right away. Reporting them and deleting.
I received the same email today. The giveaway was that they wanted me to set up an account somewhere and get an appraisal before they would buy my domain. Ha ha. Nice try.
And it continues. Got this version today:
Hello!
Our offer has been certified. The buyer is obligated to buy and you will be protected during the transaction.
My name is Elizabeth Melhuse. I work as a broker of International merchants in a merchant provider company – Authorize Inc.(Norwegian Subsidiary). We help our VIP clients to establish a business online (secure domain, develop a web site and establish our payment system). I will help you to finish the sale of your domain.
I represent a buyer – a company from Bergen. They want to use it to drive more traffic to their new web project. Commission of our company is only six percent. It’s paid when you get the money.
They will pay you via the Escrow / Swiss Escrow service. You can be paid via wire, Paypal, check or any other method you prefer.
The buyer offers $60,000 usd.
Do you have a certificate? It’s required by their bank.
The final sale price will depend on the certificate ($60,000 minimum – if it comes higher they will pay more).
If you don’t have the certificate it’s not a problem. You can order it online.
Please note he cannot accept it from any agency. He needs a manual service. It also must be a third party independent agency (not your broker our auction site) and must be accepted by his bank.
The certification includes the following:
1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher, he will increase the price accordingly. In the domain name industry, there are many appraisal tools that people use to estimate the value of a domain name. My client does not want to risk and doesn’t accept services that use scripts. If you are unsure about some service feel free to ask me.
2. TM and law compliance verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It’s not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.
3. Copy in Norwegian.
The process is very easy:
1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will help you to get a better valuation.
If your domain is worth at least $10000, they will send you the payment instructions. If it’s not possible, they won’t send you the instructions. This way you will not lose anything. It’s very convenient and gives you the full protection. Other services charge you upfront even if your domain is not worth spending the appraisal fee, so I don’t recommend them.
2. Send the certificate to me and we will start the sale process. As soon as the buyer receives your certificate they will buy your domain.
If you are new to the certification process, I can help you with the step by step instructions.
To read the review you must have Telegram Messenger installed on your smartphone. To communicate with me online please use Telegram messenger. Here is the invitation link to our Domain Sale Group: https://t.me/domainbrokerage
Add me ( @ ElizaSupport ) to your contacts and we will be able to chat in Telegram. If you don’t have Telegram you may install it on your smartphone from Google Play or AppStore.
One of my sellers already sold to this buyer from Oslo. You may read his review at https://t.me/domainbrokerage/1754 Feel free to contact him.
Please respond ASAP. No risk for you to proceed since this is a certified domain offer with full proof of funds. If you send the certificate the buyer will have to pay you the same day.
Elizabeth Melhuse
Vice President
Investor Relations
Drammensveien 149
0277
Oslo, Norway
Authorize Inc. (Norwegian Subsidiary)
This is hilarious..They first started in Japan..then Israel …now Norway…I turned them into the FBI with a lot of good information
So glad I saw this because I just got this email today. Glad to know it’s a scam! I won’t even bother responding.
I have received the same letter as well. Godaddy and similar providers have their own marketplace where you can post your domain for sale. The best is any time you receive such offers from someone who wants to buy a specific domain from you, tell them to go and buy it via Godaddy’s or the relevant marketplace! easy! they will never come back. and if it happens to be a serious buyer, then you still sell your domain.
Woooow It’s happened to me as well today and i waste a lot of time and efforts on this by emails and the Telegram with Ms. Elizbeth
I was very close to pay( I filled out the credit card details and moved to the second page (before i click the Pay now button. I just made some research in Google and found this page. You GUYS saved my live hahah Yes yes my live because it would be very hard to accept that scam.
Thank you all
Here the email i got today
We are a big company and we are not interested in transactions under $60000 usd. Our clients pay us 6% on every sale.
May I suggest to change your price to $60000? In this case we will earn a better commission.
I hope you understand our business model better now.
It’s happened to me as well in these days. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get the money back and report this scam?
If it looks too good to be true then more often than not it is! Due diligence is of prime importance when selling domains. If you have your domain listed on Godaddy acutions for sale then let the sale and transfer go through the Godaddy sales process for receiving payment and transfer of your domain to the new buyer.
i received this nice little email today and reported it directly to Godaddy spam department:
My name is E Takahashi. You were contated by my colleague Mr. Miyazaki. I work with English speaking clients of our company.
I represent a buyer – a company from Tokyo. They want to use it to drive more traffic to their new web project. Commission of our company is only six percents. It’s paid when you get the money.
He is a GoDaddy verified buyer. The transfer will be a simple process because you both have Godaddy accounts. You will get 50% before transfer and 50% after. You can be paid via wire, Paypal, check or any other method you prefer including crypto.
The buyer offers $25,000 usd.
Do you have a certificate? It’s required by their bank.
The final sale price will depend on the certificate ($25,000 minimum – if it comes higher they will pay more).
If you don’t have the certificate it’s not a problem. You can order it online.
Please note he cannot accept it from any agency. He needs a manual service. It also must be a third party independent agency (not your broker our auction site) and must be accepted by his bank.
The certification includes the following:
1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher, he will increase the price accordingly. In the domain name industry, there are many appraisal tools that people use to estimate the value of a domain name. My client does not want to risk and doesn’t accept services that use scripts. If you are unsure about some service feel free to ask me.
2. TM and law compliance verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It’s not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.
3. Copy in Japanese.
The process is very easy:
1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will help you to get a better valuation.
If your domain is worth at least $10000, they will send you the payment instructions. If it’s not possible, they won’t send you the instructions. This way you will not lose anything. It’s very convenient and gives you the full protection. Other services charge you upfront even if your domain is not worth spending the appraisal fee, so I don’t recommend them.
2. Send the certificate to me and we will start the sale process. As soon as the buyer receives your certificate they will buy your domain.
If you are new to the certification process, I can help you with the step by step instructions.
To read the review you must have Telegram Messenger installed on your smartphone. To communicate with me online please use Telegram messenger. Here is the invitation link to our Domain Sale Group: https://t.me/dnsbroker
Add me ( @ ElizaManager ) to your contacts and we will be able to chat in Telegram. If you don’t have Telegram you may install it on your smartphone from Google Play or AppStore.
One of my sellers already sold to this buyer from Tokyo. You may read his review at https://t.me/dnsbroker/1754 Feel free to contact him.
Please respond ASAP. No risk for you to proceed since this is a certified by GoDaddy domain offer with full proof of funds. If you send the certificate the buyer will have to pay you the same day.
E Takahashi
Vice President
Investor Relations
Conoha . jp
Hosting Services
105-6104 Tokyo, Minato City, Hamamatsucho, 2 Chome−4−1, World Trade Center Bldg., 4F
+81-3-3461-2221
On Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 1:11 AM , wrote:
+ (81) 3-3461-2287
Domain Attorney Tokyo, JP
Official Request To Buy Your Domain
Hello!
I represent Conoha company (domain hosting). Our client from Nagasaki makes you a good offer to buy name mentioned in the subject.
He is a GoDaddy verified buyer. The transfer will be a simple process because you both have Godaddy accounts. You will get 50% before transfer and 50% after.
Your email address has been found via online WHO IS service.
The buyer offers $75,000.00 USD. If the price is not acceptable you may negotiate with the buyer’s broker Mrs. Uebashi. The buyer provided full proof of funds.
If interested please respond to this email.
S Tanaka
Domain Attorney
27-1 Sakuragaokacho +81-3-3461-2287
Tokyo, Japan
I too am dealing with this scam. Here is the content:
My name is E Takanashi. You were contacted by my colleague Mr. Tanaka. I work with English speaking clients of our company.
I represent a buyer from Nagasaki. He wants to use it to drive more traffic to his new web project. Commission of our company is only six percents. It’s paid when you get the money.
He is a GoDaddy verified buyer. The transfer will be a simple process because you both have Godaddy accounts. You will get 50% before transfer and 50% after. You can be paid via wire, Paypal, check or any other method you prefer including crypto.
The buyer offers $75,000 usd.
Do you have a domain report for Japan? It’s required by their bank.
The final sale price will depend on the report ($75,000 minimum – if it comes higher they will pay more).
If you don’t have the report it’s not a problem. You can order it online.
Please note he cannot accept it from any agency. He needs a manual service. It also must be a third party independent agency (not your broker our auction site) and must be accepted by his bank.
The certification includes the following:
1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher, he will increase the price accordingly. In the domain name industry, there are many appraisal tools that people use to estimate the value of a domain name. My client does not want to risk and doesn’t accept services that use scripts. If you are unsure about some service feel free to ask me.
2. TM and law compliance verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It’s not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.
3. Copy in Japanese.
The process is very easy:
1. Go to the report agency site and order a report. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will help you to get a better valuation.
If your domain is worth at least $10000, they will send you the payment instructions. If it’s not possible, they won’t send you the instructions. This way you will not lose anything. It’s very convenient and gives you the full protection. Other services charge you upfront even if your domain is not worth spending the appraisal fee, so I don’t recommend them.
2. Send the report to me and we will start the sale process. As soon as the buyer receives your report they will buy your domain.
If you are new to the certification process, I can help you with the step by step instructions.
To read the review you must have Telegram Messenger installed on your smartphone. To communicate with me online please use Telegram messenger. Here is the invitation link to our Domain Sale Group: https://t.me/dnsbroker
Add me ( @ ElizaManager ) to your contacts and we will be able to chat in Telegram. If you don’t have Telegram you may install it on your smartphone from Google Play or AppStore.
One of my sellers already sold to this buyer from Tokyo. You may read his review at https://t.me/dnsbroker/1754 Feel free to contact him.
Please respond ASAP. No risk for you to proceed since this is a certified by GoDaddy domain offer with full proof of funds. If you send the report the buyer will have to pay you the same day.
E Takanashi
Vice President
Investor Relations
Conoha . jp
Hosting Services
27-1 Sakuragaokacho +81-3-3461-2287
Here is the latest update folks. Version 500.1 Date: 06-03-2021
Name – Elizabeth Stone
Company – Intervision Ltd.
Location – Israel
Offer – $75,000
This one is well thought out, it would put anyone into some serious imaginations. I am grateful that I came across this article before taking any action.
Be grateful and you won’t be a great fool.
****************************************************************************************
Hello!
My name is Elizabeth Stone. I will help you to finish the sale of your domain. I work for Intervision Ltd. hosting provider from Israel.
The buyer offers $75,000 usd.
Your buyer is a company from Haifu, Israel. They want to use it to drive more traffic to their new web project. Commission of our company is only 6%. It’s paid when you get the money.
They will pay you via the Escrow / Swiss Escrow service. You can be paid via wire, Paypal, check or any other method you prefer.
Do you have a domain report? As a domain hosting and brokerage service we require this document to protect our domain buyers.
The final sale price will depend on the report ($75,000 minimum – if it comes higher they will pay more).
If you don’t have the report it’s not a problem. You can order it online.
The certification includes the following:
1. Valuation
2. TM and law compliance verification.
3. Copy in Hebrew.
I chatted with major agencies. “GoDaddy/Afternic” don’t make it in Hebrew.
Fortunately, there is the agency that does Israeli certificates. I may help you with isntructions how to get it.
We may also chat in Telegram messenger. Here is the invitation link to our Domain Sale Group: https://t.me/dnsbroker
Add me to your contacts and we will be able to chat in Telegram. If you don’t have Telegram you may install it on your smartphone from Google Play or AppStore.
If you are ready to proceed with the sale please respond and I will help you to finish the sale.
Regards,
Elizabeth Stone
Vice President
Investor Relations
Intervision Ltd.
Aba Hillel Silver St 98
Haifa 3269514
Israel
My name is E. Krein. I will help you to finish the sale of your domain. I work for Intervision Ltd. hosting provider from Israel.
You may write to this email or use my work email [email protected].
The buyer offers $75,000 usd.
Your buyer is a company from Haifa, Israel. They want to use it to drive more traffic to their new web project. Commission of our company is only 6%. It’s paid when you get the money.
They will pay you via the Escrow / Swiss Escrow service. You can be paid via wire, Paypal, check or any other method you prefer.
Do you have a domain report? As a domain hosting and brokerage service we require this document to protect our domain buyers.
The final sale price will depend on the report ($75,000 minimum – if it comes higher they will pay more).
If you don’t have the report it’s not a problem. You can order it online.
The certification includes the following:
1. Valuation
2. TM and law compliance verification.
3. Copy in Hebrew.
I chatted with major agencies. “GoDaddy/Afternic” don’t make it in Hebrew.
Fortunately, there is the agency that does Israeli certificates. I may help you with isntructions how to get it.
We may also chat in Telegram messenger. Here is the invitation link to our Domain Sale Group: https://t.me/dnsbroker
Add me to your contacts and we will be able to chat in Telegram. If you don’t have Telegram you may install it on your smartphone from Google Play or AppStore.
If you are ready to proceed with the sale please respond and I will help you to finish the sale.
Regards,
Elizabeth Krein
Vice President
Investor Relations
Intervision Ltd.
Aba Hillel Silver St 98
Haifa 3269514