A Hong Kong company e-mailed me about my domain, would appreciate advice

[cobaltwolf]

Hello, I am new here, and came across this site while Googling for answers. I hope someone can shed a light on this so I don't mess things up. Never expected to be in this sort of situation.:o

I registered cobaltwolf.us in 2006, and its .COM version in May of 2008 (and was thinking on purchasing a few others just in case). I've been doing business under that name online since 2006 (and a bit longer locally). Today I received the following e-mail from a Hong Kong company:

We are a domain name registration center, mainly dealing with domain name registration and internet intellectual property rights protection. On May 19,2009 we received a formal application from a company in your country who is applying to register several domains, using "cobaltwolf" as the Internet keyword. After investigation,we find that you are the original user of the keyword. Such similar domain cases may involve your trademark and company name,and may cause website confusion and conflicts. For a responsible attitude, we inform you here and ask for your opinion.If you don't mind,we will finish registration for the third company.

It sounds friendly enough, but in truth I am not sure what to do next. I don't want to lose my domain name (which I like quite a bit, being the name of the cartoon "mascot" of my business) or have it watered down since it's a pain to come up with one I'm satisfied with, but neither am I a huge company that can hoard all the available extensions to myself.

I will reply them saying I'm going to ask for legal advice before giving a proper answer. How should I proceed?

Regards,

Ed

 

[BitcoinDK]

There are two possibilities.

1. this is a scam, the Hong Kong company might try to trick you to register the other extensions through domain names with them. I have seen similar letters many time before. But usually they end with, that they are offering you, to have the first right to reg. your names before the other ones do it.

2. they may be real and show you the cursity... no who am I kidding, there is no other possibilities.

No matter what, if you have already regged the .us and .com then why are you afraid to loose them? If it was enough for you for 2 years to only own .us, then you dont need the other extensions.

And now where you also have secured the .com, you definatly dont need the other extensions. So dont worry, just delete their e-mail.

Good luck.

 

[Name Trader]

I don't think there is much chance of you losing your domains since the freely admit you were first. I would however register any other extensions you might want now, whilst they're still available.

 

[jberryhill]

It's a come-on to buy their overpriced domain registration service.

Nobody asks around before allowing a domain name registration.

Google this - "chinese domain scam"

chinese domain scam - Google Search

 

[411domains]

It's a come-on to buy their overpriced domain registration service.

Nobody asks around before allowing a domain name registration.

Google this - "chinese domain scam"

chinese domain scam - Google Search

Agreed. Do not respond. You will only end up on the active list for chinese spam.

 

[cobaltwolf]

People, thank you all wholeheartedly for the advise. I appreciate it immensely. I had the intention of replying, saying that I would have to look for legal advice first, but it now looks like that would have been a horrible mistake. I normally can identify spam and phishing a mile away, but this one was so pointed at me and dealt with my domain name that I almost bit the bait.

---------- Post added at 03:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:02 AM ----------

There are two possibilities.

1. this is a scam, the Hong Kong company might try to trick you to register the other extensions through domain names with them. I have seen similar letters many time before. But usually they end with, that they are offering you, to have the first right to reg. your names before the other ones do it.

Yeah, that sounds logical. Like I said above, but e-mail was so different from the average Nigerian e-mail scam that it made me wonder if it was genuine in intent. It came from one hk-nsc.org.

2. they may be real and show you the cursity... no who am I kidding, there is no other possibilities.

lol, ok.

No matter what, if you have already regged the .us and .com then why are you afraid to loose them?

Paranoia maybe? Embarrassing how that managed to push my FUD button (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) so easily.

If it was enough for you for 2 years to only own .us, then you don't need the other extensions.

And now where you also have secured the .com, you definitely don't need the other extensions.

And THAT is a question I always had on my mind. I thought I HAD to secure as many as possible to avoid others "diluting" my domain name (whatever that is). I purchased the COM one last year when someone e-mailed me asking me if I intended to use it, and got a bit worried and bought it, but told him he could use the NET one if he liked (he never did, though).

So dont worry, just delete their e-mail.

Done and done....:wave:

Regards,

Ed

---------- Post added at 03:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 AM ----------

I don't think there is much chance of you losing your domains since the freely admit you were first. I would however register any other extensions you might want now, whilst they're still available.

Again, that's what I've always asked myself. Must I? After this I am inclined to do it (will probably do that today), but is it really necessary?

Regards,

Ed

---------- Post added at 03:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:14 AM ----------

It's a come-on to buy their overpriced domain registration service.

Nobody asks around before allowing a domain name registration.

Google this - "chinese domain scam"

chinese domain scam - Google Search

Thanks for the Googling. I didn't imagine this was so common! I'm simply just one of their latest potential victims. Thank goodness I had the presence of mind to post here.

Ed

 

[jberryhill]

I normally can identify spam and phishing a mile away, but this one was so pointed at me and dealt with my domain name that I almost bit the bait.

Oh, it's a good one.

It is actually an electronic version of a game that went on for decades by mail. Trademark lawyers used to get mail from law firms in Taiwan and Hong Kong "informing" them that someone was trying to register their clients' trademarks in those countries, and the firm would offer to oppose the other registrations and obtain registration for the clients for a fee. The letter would come with a forged publication from a Chinese trademark office.

The Nigerian 419 scam used to run on paper, too.

It came from one hk-nsc.org.

The .com is available...

 

[cobaltwolf]

Oh, it's a good one.

It is actually an electronic version of a game that went on for decades by mail.

So I'm just the newest potential victim of a very old scam. I didn't know it was also done through traditional mail. I'm glad I found this forum before did something stupid

 

[SeanPreston]

ye, I would be very carefull, if anyone says the words "we can register ___ for only ___" run away and use godaddy or another well known CHEAP registrar!

Chances are they won't even allow you to move it and may ask for a few years in adv or somethign stupid.

Sean

 

[Name Trader]

You won't get much traffic from the .net or .org, so it's really only a comfort thing. So long as you've got the .com you'll be fine.

 

[cobaltwolf]

You won't get much traffic from the .net or .org, so it's really only a comfort thing. So long as you've got the .com you'll be fine.

Thanks for clarifying that for me. It was a questions I've been asking myself for years, whether it was actually necessary to "cover all the bases" by getting multiple domains.

Ed.

 

[edgetube]

What is the correct procedure if I had responded to them in the past? I do remember myself responding a while ago when I got one of these...

 

[bluesman]

Like the others said, the best response is no response.

But if you do so at all, then only keep it at the same level as their previous communication. They ask if something's okay with you to do regarding your keyword name? Then you simply reply that no, it's really NOT okay.

Otherwise, if you take it up a notch by sending them several paragraphs of stress and mess, they'll take it up a notch too. What do they care? Anything they can get out of you is a bonus for them, since they've got nothing to lose.

But since you've already got the dot com, you've got everything. Nobody else registering anything similar should derail you from that fact. Actually, the best "response" to them would probably be going to your own registrar and boosting your 1 or 2 year dot com reg into a TEN year one. That would certainly send a clear enough message!

 

[cobaltwolf]

Actually, the best "response" to them would probably be going to your own registrar and boosting your 1 or 2 year dot com reg into a TEN year one. That would certainly send a clear enough message!

Thanks for the advice. I usually wait until there's a couple of months left but, you are right, extending the registration period should send the clearest message possible without actually replying to their phishing expedition. I'll do that asap. :wave:

Regards,

Ed.