Domain scammer

Bram C. said:

You should have played his game. I would have said I agree to the $50K offer and immediately open an escrow payment request and wait for him to pay $50K. He evidently won't pay the 50K if it's a scam so it will end right then and there.

Click to expand...

this. escrow or money transfer, wire transfer...
IF you receive the funds, then u can go lowball whoever has the domain

Lots of similar scams going around actually. Often, when a domain of mine is in an auction and when the reserve is met, I get an email from some saying they are brokering this domain and asking me if I'm interested to buy it.

So I guess this particular "business model" (scam) works like this:
1. They find some domains in auction that met reserve (or have a low reserve) and that don't have too many bidders (so they know they can easily become the highest bidder without too much risk for a bidding war).

2. They contact potential interested parties and say they are brokering this domain. Of course they are not brokering this domain (nobody gave them permission) and of course they don't mention that the domain is currently in auction.

3. When a potential interested party wants to buy it at the price they quote (for example $5K) they then open an Escrow transaction and wait for the money to arrive. Once the money arrived they buy the domain in auction (for example for $1K).

4. They transfer the domain to the interested party and keep $4K profit in the process.

The funny thing is that I'm getting these emails as well, as the owner of the domain. Obviously I'm not going to buy my own domain from them but it seems their email system is currently flawed and emails potential interested parties but also the owners of the actual domains.