The domain name appraisal scam is by far the most common domain name scam and unfortunately claims many victims. Most domainers have either fallen for it themselves, or know someone who has. Follow the advice in this article to spare yourself from the same fate.
Domain name appraisal scams are scams that involve a “buyer” telling a domain owner that they are interested in a domain, and requesting that the owner have the domain name appraised first. So, how can we spot domain name appraisal scams? Well, they generally have a few elements in common.
The Scam
End users almost never ask to have a domain appraised, so the request itself can be a red flag. If an end user genuinely wants an appraisal, direct them to services such as Sedo and Afternic which will allow them to purchase the domain name appraisal themselves – there’s no reason for us to pay for a domain name appraisal if the buyer is the party interested in it.
If a buyer is willing to pay the appraisal fee, it suggests that he’s fairly interested in our domain, so by all means let him. Sedo and Afternic generally report higher prices in their appraisals than most domains would likely fetch in the reseller market, so it probably won’t hurt us if the buyer decides to purchase an appraisal.
What We Should Do If We Think We Are Dealing With a Scammer
Search their name and email address on Google. Domain name appraisal scam emails are often sent in bulk, which means that hundreds of other domainers may have received the same email as us. It generally doesn’t take long before the scam letter that he’s sending becomes indexed in Google, thanks to someone inquiring on a forum about the legitimacy of the email. If we can’t find an indexed answer, but still feel that we may be dealing with a scammer, consider asking the knowledgeable members on NamePros. They’ll be able to tell us pretty quickly whether it sounds like a domain name appraisal scam or a legitimate end user inquiry.
Scammers have various styles and some domain name appraisal scams aren’t as immediately obvious as others. But we can protect ourselves by never paying for a domain name appraisal, regardless of the circumstances mentioned by the potential buyer.
Please message me if you have a topic that you’d like me to write about!
Domain name appraisal scams are scams that involve a “buyer” telling a domain owner that they are interested in a domain, and requesting that the owner have the domain name appraised first. So, how can we spot domain name appraisal scams? Well, they generally have a few elements in common.
The Scam
- Almost without exception, the scammer will ask us to get a domain appraisal “to protect both parties” and “make sure the price paid is fair.”
- The scammer will also mention that he only trusts certain domain name appraisal companies, which will not be the industry leaders - so not Sedo, Afternic, or Estibot. Often, the scammer will attempt to validate his chosen appraiser by showing us a post from a forum where “supposed domain name experts” are discussing the best domain name appraisal companies, and these “experts” recommend the company that the scammer is suggesting.
- Domain name appraisal scammers will often follow their names with credentials such as Ph.D. and MCSE. Anyone can pretend to have any credential that they want on the Internet and without verification, they mean nothing. Don’t let a credential sway us to trust a potential scammer.
End users almost never ask to have a domain appraised, so the request itself can be a red flag. If an end user genuinely wants an appraisal, direct them to services such as Sedo and Afternic which will allow them to purchase the domain name appraisal themselves – there’s no reason for us to pay for a domain name appraisal if the buyer is the party interested in it.
If a buyer is willing to pay the appraisal fee, it suggests that he’s fairly interested in our domain, so by all means let him. Sedo and Afternic generally report higher prices in their appraisals than most domains would likely fetch in the reseller market, so it probably won’t hurt us if the buyer decides to purchase an appraisal.
What We Should Do If We Think We Are Dealing With a Scammer
Search their name and email address on Google. Domain name appraisal scam emails are often sent in bulk, which means that hundreds of other domainers may have received the same email as us. It generally doesn’t take long before the scam letter that he’s sending becomes indexed in Google, thanks to someone inquiring on a forum about the legitimacy of the email. If we can’t find an indexed answer, but still feel that we may be dealing with a scammer, consider asking the knowledgeable members on NamePros. They’ll be able to tell us pretty quickly whether it sounds like a domain name appraisal scam or a legitimate end user inquiry.
Scammers have various styles and some domain name appraisal scams aren’t as immediately obvious as others. But we can protect ourselves by never paying for a domain name appraisal, regardless of the circumstances mentioned by the potential buyer.
Please message me if you have a topic that you’d like me to write about!
Last edited by a moderator:
