Web Scams
The phone rang hot a few weeks ago as the latest domain name scam hit our customer’s mailboxes. They all received a letter offering them an additional domain name similar to the one they already had, at an exorbitant price - almost ten times the going rate with the promise of a free I-Pod! Although technically not illegal, this is just the latest of an ongoing wave of offers from get rich quick entrepreneurs. Sometimes you may not notice that the domain name is slightly different. This often leads customers to believe it is a renewal notice for their existing domain name.
If anyone reading this has bought one of these domain names, at least make sure it is pointing to your web site. A domain name is worthless if it does not point to your web content.
Fortunately in Australia our domain name registration authority, the AUDA takes great care of the management of .au domains. Renewal dates are kept private so that unlike the owners of .com domains, they do not receive over priced renewal notices from registration companies that do not currently manage you domain, asking for rapid renewal so you don’t lose your name. When you receive one of these notices confirm that it is the registrar you are already with.
If in doubt contact your web developer, they should be able to answer the question quickly and save you unnecessary cost and stress.