advice What’s happened to my domain?

[Blueforever]

Yesterday (November 18th) I received an email from namesilo that my domain name (TokenizeEverything.com) was to be transferred out to another registrar, there was also an option to cancel if i follow the URL which I quickly did.

I logged into my account to find the name missing. I spoke to support who had said that ‘When you cancelled the transfer it was deactivated’ although they reinstated the name to my account which I can see is there and thought that was the end of it.
A few hours later I check the domain to find it has a different landing page. Wtf!
Go to Whois to find it’s under a network solutions registry owned by a guy named David shoop jr. Fb profile https://m.facebook.com/DavidShoopJr

I log into my namesilo account, and there it is. The name is still in my account.

I try to make changes, nameservers, make Whois private, but none of it works. It’s like the domain is only there in text but it’s not in my account as I have no control on it, if that makes sense.
I spoke to namesilo, they have given me no answers except their IT people are looking into it.
Now I see this guy has added a WordPress site to my domain name. Whats odd, is when looking at the login history, there is no unusual login to my account.
Any thoughts on what is going on? Has my name been stolen? If it has why show your full name on Whois? Or is this a glitch on namesilos end?

 

[7363824]

there's more to this story. something seems fishy. people have not learned only use go daddy,namecheap. why namesilo

The real question is why would you recommend godaddy. That's who non technical end users who dont know better use. There support is a nightmare, unless perhaps you spend so much they give you an account rep but I still dont think it's worth it then. But to each their own...

 

[Bertrell]

there's more to this story. something seems fishy. people have not learned only use go daddy,namecheap. why namesilo

First of all, I'm hopeful for a positive/desirable outcome for the OP, especially one that may lead to better/more robust owner verification at Afternic (in whatever form that takes).

Speaking as someone who uses GoDaddy, NameCheap and NameSilo: I like NameSilo the best out of this group. I'm forever learning, but I can't recall having any negative experiences with these particular platforms, nor with their support channels.

I found GoDaddy to be a little awkward to navigate at times, but that's about it. The one thing I mastered: transferring domains away from GoDaddy. *chuckle* (It sounds like a slight, but it's not--I really did get pretty good at it, compared to other domain account actions.)

 

[AIS01]

interesting strange matter. i never seen before like this

 

[Kenneth Smith]

i think this was a bad deal gone wrong or the domain wasn't locked. or the person send him a spam that would able to get access to his account. i mean i don't see nothing but that domain that would make me want it.

 

[7363824]

i think this was a bad deal gone wrong or the domain wasn't locked. or the person send him a spam that would able to get access to his account. i mean i don't see nothing but that domain that would make me want it.

Based on what the OP has already stated that's not it. Someone else added the domain to their Afternic account and when the OP got the email to opt into fast transfer they said they were confused and clicked the link. Meaning that as soon as it sold on Afternic it was gone.

The sad part is think of how many people could make the same mistake and click the link. This has the potential to be used as a scam to steal domains because Afternic dosen't verify ownership apart from that opt in email in most cases.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

I don't feel that there has been clarity in the ganeral situation. Is the following possible?

1. Person A has a domain name listed fast transfer.
2. Person B buys domain name from A but does not list it on fast transfer. The admin contact email is properly to B.
3. Person A leaves the name listed with fast transfer, deliberately or accidentally, even though they no longer own it.
4. Person C buys the name via fast transfer. Person A gets paid, again, for domain. Person B loses domain. Person C gets the domain.

If this can happen there is a serious problem that urgently needs to be fixed. Or does fast transfer confirmation that ownership is still correct take form of an email to contact on record? If the latter we need to be super careful to not approve a listing we did not make.

I personally would like to see ownership verification and automatic unlisting any time a domain changes registrars or has admin contact change so nonowners can't have domains listed.

Bob

 

[Abdullah Abdullah]

I don't feel that there has been clarity in the ganeral situation. Is the following possible?

1. Person A has a domain name listed fast transfer.
2. Person B buys domain name from A but does not list it on fast transfer. The admin contact email is properly to B.
3. Person A leaves the name listed with fast transfer, deliberately or accidentally, even though they no longer own it.
4. Person C buys the name via fast transfer. Person A gets paid, again, for domain. Person B loses domain. Person C gets the domain.

If this can happen there is a serious problem that urgently needs to be fixed. Or does fast transfer confirmation that ownership is still correct take form of an email to contact on record?

I personally would like to see ownership verification and automatic unlisting any time a domain changes registrars or has admin contact change so nonowners can't have domains listed.

Bob

This is exactly what I asked before with bo clear answer given.

 

[7363824]

I don't feel that there has been clarity in the ganeral situation. Is the following possible?

1. Person A has a domain name listed fast transfer.
2. Person B buys domain name from A but does not list it on fast transfer. The admin contact email is properly to B.
3. Person A leaves the name listed with fast transfer, deliberately or accidentally, even though they no longer own it.
4. Person C buys the name via fast transfer. Person A gets paid, again, for domain. Person B loses domain. Person C gets the domain.

If this can happen there is a serious problem that urgently needs to be fixed. Or does fast transfer confirmation that ownership is still correct take form of an email to contact on record? If the latter we need to be super careful to not approve a listing we did not make.

I personally would like to see ownership verification and automatic unlisting any time a domain changes registrars or has admin contact change so nonowners can't have domains listed.

Bob

Blueforever said state they found an old opt in email for it they accidentally clicked. It's a huge problem because while just blindly clicking links in email is a bad thing, think of the email verification links in email when you sign up for a new account, we are conditioned to just click.

 

[Kenneth Smith]

how can they approve a transfer if it locked. this whole thing is still not adding up and i been doing this crap over 20 years. I mean i had a lot of domains listed on sale and forgot about them but my domains are still here. how do we not know if these 2 people were partners and the other guy took the domain. i think this is a learning lesson.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

how can they approve a transfer if it locked.

I believe that with fast-transfer agreed to it overrides that, but possibly I am wrong.

 

[Blueforever]

how can they approve a transfer if it locked. this whole thing is still not adding up and i been doing this crap over 20 years. I mean i had a lot of domains listed on sale and forgot about them but my domains are still here. how do we not know if these 2 people were partners and the other guy took the domain. i think this is a learning lesson.

Yes this is where there is a glitch. The name was in a totally different account from previous owner (my account) although the same registrar and It was locked. So should not have been able to leave my account.
The issue is I purchased the name in early 2019. A few months later in may I received an email from afternic about it being listed for sale which I confusingly clicked the link. I had no idea someone else had listed it with a buy it now price and forgot about it. In November, the third party had clicked buy it now and the domain was removed from my account. I did not receive any payment, so effectively the name has been stolen from me. It’s been almost a month, and I’ve still not got my name back.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

I did not receive any payment, so effectively the name has been stolen from me. It’s been almost a month, and I’ve still not got my name back.

It seems to me that this is the sort of situation where the registrar should have rolled back the clock. Either restore the name to your account, or at least send the funds from the sale to the actual owner. The longer that goes on, the less likely this will be to happen. Surely it is not right that someone who did not own the name would be paid for selling it, even if the inadvertent click enabled the transfer.

I really hope this gets resolved in your favour, but after so much time it is not looking good. Thank you for providing the update.

Bob

 

[Blueforever]

It seems to me that this is the sort of situation where the registrar should have rolled back the clock. Either restore the name to your account, or at least send the funds from the sale to the actual owner. The longer that goes on, the less likely this will be to happen. Surely it is not right that someone who did not own the name would be paid for selling it, even if the inadvertent click enabled the transfer.

I really hope this gets resolved in your favour, but after so much time it is not looking good. Thank you for providing the update.

Bob

Thanks Bob, I hope so too. Apparently namesilo have been in contact with network solutions On a few occasions about transferring the name back, but seems like they are not corresponding.

 

[Sutruk]

Yes this is where there is a glitch. The name was in a totally different account from previous owner (my account) although the same registrar and It was locked. So should not have been able to leave my account.
The issue is I purchased the name in early 2019. A few months later in may I received an email from afternic about it being listed for sale which I confusingly clicked the link. I had no idea someone else had listed it with a buy it now price and forgot about it. In November, the third party had clicked buy it now and the domain was removed from my account. I did not receive any payment, so effectively the name has been stolen from me. It’s been almost a month, and I’ve still not got my name back.

This is why I think that the Fast Transfer idea is only good for the buyer and the marketplace, but NOT for the seller. It is extremely easy, as you have already proven, to click on a email link by mistake, especially if you have a lot of domains set up for fast transfer.
Just somebody add one of your domains for fast transfer, you get the email and click on it by error, and you can say bye to your domain.
I have received maybe 2 or 3 emails like those, asking me to approve my domains for fast tranfer. Somebody else added them for a fast tranfer and I got the email from my registrar to approve it for a Fast Transfer. Of course I didn't click on them, because I don't have anything for fast transfer.
You made a fatal mistake, and I hope that you get back the domain to you.
Again, it is extremely dangerous, in my opinion, to set up anything for a fast transfer, and here is the prove.
NOBODY should apply for a fast transfer for anything. This is just an idea of the marketplaces, very clever and eager to get the funds as fast as possible, but not thinking in any case on the seller, at least on the security of his domains.
If one of my domains is sold, I WANT TO KNOW IT, and I WANT TO GIVE THE AUTH CODE and everything, what i mean, I WANT TO BE AWARE ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH MY DOMAIN.
Just my opinion.

 

[Kenneth Smith]

yeah the smartest thing to do is push the domain from where you buy them at.

 

[7363824]

I believe that with fast-transfer agreed to it overrides that, but possibly I am wrong.

That is my understanding as well. The lock only prevents a regular transfer and a fast transfer overrides that afaik. I'm sure that is all spelled out in the the registrars legal terms.

This is why I think that the Fast Transfer idea is only good for the buyer and the marketplace, but NOT for the seller. It is extremely easy, as you have already proven, to click on a email link by mistake, especially if you have a lot of domains set up for fast transfer.
Just somebody add one of your domains for fast transfer, you get the email and click on it by error, and you can say bye to your domain.
I have received maybe 2 or 3 emails like those, asking me to approve my domains for fast tranfer. Somebody else added them for a fast tranfer and I got the email from my registrar to approve it for a Fast Transfer. Of course I didn't click on them, because I don't have anything for fast transfer.
You made a fatal mistake, and I hope that you get back the domain to you.
Again, it is extremely dangerous, in my opinion, to set up anything for a fast transfer, and here is the prove.
NOBODY should apply for a fast transfer for anything. This is just an idea of the marketplaces, very clever and eager to get the funds as fast as possible, but not thinking in any case on the seller, at least on the security of his domains.
If one of my domains is sold, I WANT TO KNOW IT, and I WANT TO GIVE THE AUTH CODE and everything, what i mean, I WANT TO BE AWARE ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH MY DOMAIN.
Just my opinion.

Generally speaking I'm all for anything that increases the scalability by reducing friction for the buyer. And in fact I actually like the idea to make money selling a domain without having to do anything, even transferring it manually. But Afternic needs to wake up and impliment stronger verification around this!

 

[Sutruk]

But Afternic needs to wake up and impliment stronger verification around this!

THIS is the problem.

First and most important, Afternic should apply a verificacion process in order to list any domain there. Like Sedo is doing right now, by asking for a DNS txt file verification in order to list a domain.

It is just a joke that anyone can list a domain there, and NOT ONLY THAT, because the joke becomes bigger when that domain enters a "Fast Transfer Network" and they send the FAST TRANSFER email, just in case the real owner makes a mistake and click on that email, just to say a nice and long bye to that domain.

In few words, INCREDIBLE.

 

[Jv1999]

I fast-forwarded to the last page... and wow i had the suspicion that it was an afternic sail... and it was. Except from the wrong acct.

It shows how important domain management is... the more domains we have, the harder it is to check for ns, exp, marketplace listings, autorenew, and price research....

I disagree dat fast-transfer iz bad. Because as long as you checked b4 that the domain was under your afternic, then it's okay.

I think from this we can learn that we should all look into our domain management.

I hope Afternic gives you the payment, after all -- it was your domain. I would email them ASAP.

 

[Sutruk]

Really, the fast transfer is just an invention to bypass the security checks when a domain transfer is being done, and all in order to catch the funds as quick as possible by the domainmarket.
And then, the seller will be paid... well, that's the last and less important step.
The domain is sold, the marketplace have the funds... the seller can wait for the monies lol

 

[Jv1999]

Really, the fast transfer is just an invention to bypass the security checks when a domain transfer is being done, and all in order to catch the funds as quick as possible by the domainmarket.
And then, the seller will be paid... well, that's the last and less important step.
The domain is sold, the marketplace have the funds... the seller can wait for the monies lol

...except when the wrong seller gets the bitcoin... X.x

 

[Sutruk]

...except when the wrong seller gets the bitcoin... X.x

Yeah, and that's what happened here. All due to the lack of verification process for listing a domain for sale there. Add that to the eventual mistake by the domain owner clicking on that email to approve the domain for fast transfer, and you have already said good bye to your domain.

 

[Blueforever]

Overall I think fast transfer is a good idea, but the glitch is the name should not have been allowed to be listed from someone else’s afternic account. The Whois details should match or a txt record needed to be added etc. Even when I mistakenly clicked the link, maybe a confirmation email needs to be sent after saying the name is listed at whatever price.
What’s odd is I received that email in May, but when the name had sold in November, I didn’t receive anything saying my name had sold for whatever price. I just got an email saying it’s being removed from my namesilo account.

 

[Kenneth Smith]

and you tell me you never login your account to check on your domains every now and than.

 

[Blueforever]

and you tell me you never login your account to check on your domains every now and than.

I do, but what has that got to do with this?

 

[Kenneth Smith]

well its clearly you have take responsibility as a domain owner and learn to not click everything you see. not everything is true everything has a risk.