Caorda has received many of these domain name phishing letter ‘scams’ in the mail over the years, and we know many others receive these sometimes too — including our clients. These letters are sent out to many domain name holders in an attempt to trick them into switching their domain registration business to them — for a much more expensive price. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS!
How This Scam Tricks People
The letter references the domain owner’s actual domain, and specifies a specific “expiry date” for the domain registration too — prompting you to quickly ensure your domain registration doesn’t expire by registering with them. Not only do they sometimes make-up some random expiration date, but they also charge much more than what you can get elsewhere like through Caorda.
For example, this company (that is based out of the United Arab Emirates by the way) charges $40 for a 1-year domain registration. This usually costs much less elsewhere! Again, do NOT fall for this!
Unfortunately, Caorda has had some clients fall for this in the past. Read below to find out what to do if you’re accidentally tricked.
What To Do If You Fall For This Scam
First, do not panic. Yes – falling for this trick can compromise your domain registration info and your website, but even more concerning is that it also puts the credit card being used at risk too. Anyone who falls for this trick should contact us and the credit card company immediately. Caorda is able to secure your domain from being transferred, but you will still need to contact your credit card company if you want to cancel/replace the card.
The Bottom Line On (iDNS) Domain Name Phishing Scams
Like most scams, this domain name phishing scam can be quite deceiving. Although they mailed a letter to your home address while also stating your actual domain, the expiration dates listed in these letters are often made-up, and again — they charge more than 2x the average for a simple domain registration. If you are tricked by accident, make sure to contact Caorda quickly so we can help keep your domain & website secure. Also, make sure to contact your credit card provider if you fall for this too in order to ensure you credit card is secure as well.
We hope this post helps save some people from going through all this trouble (and paying more too). Contact us today at Caorda if you have any feedback, questions, or concerns. Thank you.