sharapov

http://www.bignames.co.uk/domainscam.html

DOMAIN SCAM WARNING
A company calling itself "Domain Registry of Canada" or
"Domain Registry of America" is targeting BIGNAMES://
customers to transfer their domains by renewal.

They obtained our customers' contact information through the
publicly accessible WHOIS database, and are sending
renewal notices through regular mail in an envelope and
on stationary intentionally designed to appear to be an
official government notice.

It has been brought to our attention that these letters
have been causing a great deal of confusion among our
customers and have in fact resulted in lost business.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/warnings-and-alerts/71873-bignames-scam-warning.html

You absolutely SHOULD NOT remit any payments to "Domain
Registry of Canada"/"Domain Registry of America" in order to renew your domain, as BIGNAMES:// is your official domain name provider.

If you have already submitted payment to this company, we
suggest contacting your bank, credit card company or provider
regarding your options of having payment stopped or reversed.

In an effort to combat this unfair and illegal targeting of our
business using publicly accessible information about your
domain name registration, we're asking for your help. Should
you receive a solicitation from ANY company regarding the
renewal of your domain registration, please:


1) Report any incidents to us directly at fraud@bignames.co.uk.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=71873
2) Send us a sample of any solictiation letters as evidence to our address listed at the bottom of the page.


We regret that this notice is necessary, but feel it is
important to notify our clients of this issue. If you
have any questions regarding this or any other issue,
please do not hesitate to contact us at bignames@bignames.co.uk.

Domain scam FAQs

The following provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the domain name registration solicitation mailings.

What's is Fraudulent Invoicing for Domains?

We want to help you prevent your domain name registration from being moved to another company by being tricked into renewing with another provider. If you receive mail that appears to be an invoice, which is in fact a solicitation for business, you may be the target of a fraudulent or false invoicing scheme.

Which companies are making these solicitations?

There are a number of domain registration companies looking to grow their businesses by stealing business from other companies. While we welcome fair competition in the marketplace, some companies believe the best way to win business is to solicit existing domain name registrants from other companies. Wherever possible, these companies will target registrants and trick them into moving their domain registration business. Some companies recently reported to have been involved in this type of activity are:
o Internet Registry of Canada (IROC)
o Internet Registry of America (IROA)
o Verisign/Network Solutions


What should I do to avoid being tricked into transferring my domain away from my current provider?

The best way to combat this is to simply IGNORE all communications regarding your domain name that do NOT come from BIGNAMES://

What can I do if I'm already a victim?

The first thing you should do is contact the payment authority. In all likelihood, these transactions will not be processed if the company is not able to secure payment for the transaction. If you have already sent money to one of these companies, we suggest contacting your bank or credit card company immediately regarding your options to have any payment you may have authorized either stopped or reversed.



How can I help make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else?

Report the incident to fraud@bignames.co.uk, and send a copy of the letter to our address below. Proactively combating these sorts of unscrupulous business practices is the only way to ensure these companies are stopped. This will not only help you, but all registrants, to enjoy the freedom to choose your provider and to be free from solicitations designed to deceive or trick you. It will also help us aid you in the recovery of your domain.

We're working with Tucows OpenSRS, our supplier as well as the appropriate authorities to assess the pursuit of legal and policy initiatives at our disposal. Please help us by taking the time to send us any solicitation you receive.