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Domain renewal scam moves to robocalls

by — Uncategorized 1 Comment

One perpetrator of renewal scam is now using robocalling.

Picture of man angry at phone robocall

Almost everyone who has registered a domain name has received scam renewal notices. The notices, sent via email or postal mail, try to trick you into renewing your domain name with a company other than your domain registrar.

Now this scam has moved to robocalls.

Here’s a voicemail a Domain Name Wire reader received today:

Um, hi. This is Karen. This is an urgent message. Your domain registration is set to expire. We’ve been trying to reach you regarding your business domain renewal. You can use our automated system to renew your domain quickly when you get a moment to call us back. Please, return this call at 1-888-202-5979…

You can listen to the audio here:

If you call the number back, the system checks your phone number against its database. I called from Skype and got a message that it was unable to locate the domain name based on my caller ID and asked me to enter my phone number.

 

Tabloid The Sun tried to buy TheSun.com for $600,000

by — Policy & Law 8 Comments

Then it engaged in reverse domain name hijacking.

A cybersquatting case as good as the news it produces.

The British tabloid The Sun unsuccessfully tried to buy the domain TheSun.com for $600,000, later resorting to reverse domain name hijacking to try to get the domain from its rightful owner. The publication uses the domain name TheSun.co.uk.

The paper first made a $300,000 offer for the domain in 2016. The owner asked for offers of $700,000 or more. Last year, The Sun made a $600,000 offer, only to have the owner request $2.5 million for the domain.

After its latest offer was rebuffed, the tabloid filed a cybersquatting complaint with World Intellectual Property Organization under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP).

The three-person panel was not amused by The Sun’s tactic to get the generic domain name registered in 2001. It wrote:

…it is apparent in the Panel’s view that the Complaint has been filed abusively, in an attempt to wrest the disputed domain name from the Respondent’s control after failed negotiations with the Respondent to acquire the disputed domain name for a reasonable market price.

The Panel therefore concludes that the filing of the Complaint by the Complainant constitutes reverse domain name hijacking.

Allen & Overy LLP represented News Group Newspapers Limited (the paper’s company). ESQwire.com represented the domain owner.

Domain name nostalgia

by — Uncategorized 4 Comments

A look back at the domain name industry ten years ago this month.

Screenshot of Domain Name Wire

Domain Name Wire circa 2009.

I’ve been writing Domain Name Wire for 14 years. Over 11,000 posts.

The domain name industry has changed a lot over time. This morning I looked back at what was going on this month ten years ago in April 2009.

That month I launched a new site design (pictured). Back then I took videos with a Flip Camera. And I thought nothing of flying to Vegas to party with other domainers. (OK, I’d still do that but it was easier when I was ten years younger.)

I wrote 100 posts that April. It’s a snapshot into what the domain industry was like back then. Here are some of the stories…

Parking was important back then but revenue was falling. Remember when Parked acquired WhyPark? This will bring back memories of mini sites, too. Sedo picked up RevenueDirect a couple of months before. Frank Schilling’s Name Administration was trying to court direct advertisers for its domains.

GeoDomains were also hot back then. Remember the GeoDomain Expo?

Network Solutions settled a class action for frontrunning. The registrar was reserving domains when someone searched for them. It held them for four days so that customers could only register the domains at Network Solutions during this period. The company said it was doing this to block others from frontrunning. So it was frontrunning to stop frontrunning. It was a bad idea.

A company called Live Current was selling some of its great domain names including Vietnam.com and Body.com for $400,000 each.

ICANN tied bonuses to the new top level domain rollout. Applications wouldn’t be accepted for another three years. (ICANN was also in growth mode.)

Sedo launched SedoMLS, enabling registrars to offer aftermarket inventory on their sites. Afternic’s DLS launched a couple of years before that.

We were harping for bigger “for sale” notices on parked domains. It took a while for this to happen.

That was also the month Susan Boyle became an overnight sensation (see video below). When she went viral so did the website at SusanBoyle.com. But the singer didn’t own it.

Centric.com tops Great Domains auction with three days to go

by — Domain Sales 0 Comments

Centric.com is over $20,000 in the current Great Domains auction.

People holding bid cards in an auctionSedo’s bimonthly Great Domains auction doesn’t end until Thursday but has already attracted some nice bids.

Centric.com has met its reserve and stands at $21,722. Presale.com has also met its reserve and has a top bid of $10,999. ZBO.com is close behind at $9,999.

Other domain names have higher bids but haven’t met the reserve price yet. Cooking.com clocks in at $149,998, which is well below its reserve price of $250k-$500k.

Sedo changed its Great Domains auction from a monthly event to every other month this year and I think it’s paying dividends. Not only do the auctions get more attention but they seem to have better inventory. Other nice names this time include Bootcamp.com, LoveBird.com, Stimulation.com and HardCover.com.

How to Sell with Brian Harbin – DNW Podcast #233

by — Podcasts 1 Comment

Learn from a career salesperson.

dnw-podcastAre you a good salesperson? It’s something I’ve always struggled with, but no matter what your job is, sales is part of it. That’s especially the case if you’re a domain investor!

Today’s guest has a career in sales, selling books door to door while in college, then insurance, real estate and now domains. Brian Harbin of Grit Brokerage explains what he’s learned about sales. There are a lot of great takeaways that you can use in your business.

Also: Domaining down under, Namecheap, stolen domains, Uniregistry and more.

This week’s sponsor: Name.com. Use code DNW for $50 off.

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