discuss Certification Scam?

[ddfenton]

Got an inquiry "via whois," about a site listed on Sedo for $2k. This person, "Yoshihiko," goes by the handle "domain broker," wrote an almost identical letter to scams identified on the internet involving ICCAN.

Says client is offering $15K-$20K but client's bank in X? country needs a certification and trademark check from some third party agency. Wants to pay through "Authorize Merchant Escrow service." This is the link he/she referred me to http://answersgoogle.org/answers/threadview/id/40351682.htm, which referenced http://names.authorize-merchant.net

Haven't heard back from him/her since I invited him/her to BIN on Sedo for $2K and/or arrange for and finance this "certification" themselves and I would deduct it if purchased.

Has anyone dealt with this or heard of this person or company?

Damn. I was paying my debts off in my mind after the first letter.

 

[stewmath]

Sounds like a scam to me

 

[DGMDomains]

Number one known scam of all time. I use to get those a handful of times.

Ignore them.

 

[ddfenton]

Sounds like a scam to me

wish not .

 

[ddfenton]

Number one known scam of all time. I use to get those a handful of times.

Ignore them.

Yup. Although part of me wants to play along for apprehending purposes but probably dangerous and waste of time.

 

[ddfenton]

Here's the link he just sent. And I googled it for legitimacy and this blog thread showed up - along with some others
http://www.authorize-name.net/cert.htm

 

[Mr.company]

just got a email to,totally a scam
$109 to certify a domain.

 

[Mr.company]

He'd also like to buy .net too if you own it.

Commission of our company is only 5%. It's paid by the buyer.

He will pay you via the Authorize Escrow service. They accept payment from his country and can pay you via wire, Paypal, check or any other method you prefer.

The buyer offers a price in $15,000 - $20,000 range.

Do you have a certificate? It's required by his bank.

The final sale price will depend on the certificate.

If you don't have the certificate it's not a problem. You can order it online.

Please note he cannot accept it from any agency. He needs a manual service. It also must be a third party independent agency (not your broker our auction site) and must be accepted by his bank.

The certification includes the following:

1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher, he will increase the price accordingly. In the domain name industry, there are many appraisal tools that people use to estimate the value of a domain name. My client does not want to risk and doesn't accept services that use scripts. If you are unsure about some service feel free to ask me.

2. TM verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It's not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.

You can read about certification agencies at http://answersgoogle.org/answers/threadview/id/80351628.htm (“Domain Broker” is my nickname).

The process is very easy:

1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will help you to get a better valuation.

If your domain is worth at least $1000, they will send you the payment instructions. If it's not possible, they won't send you the instructions. This way you will not lose anything. It's very convenient and gives you the full protection. Other services charge you upfront even if your domain is not worth spending the appraisal fee, so I don't recommend them.

2. Send the certificate to me and we will start the sale process. As soon as he receives your certificate he will buy your domain.

If you are new to the certification process, I can help you with the step by step instructions.

 

[Mr.company]

that was his email

 

[domaintrades]

Got exactly the same thing yesterday, same text, links etc.

And, suspecting it's a scam is why I decided to come here and do a 'search' to see if anyone else had any knowledge of this so-called 'broker.'

Well, that's made my life a bit easier, though the money would have been nice.

 

[NamePrime]

Yep! It's a scam. They're using Japanese names now :D

 

[maksimfa]

The bigger thing is.... the scammers set up the site answersgoogle.com

AMAZING....

Deep deep deep.

 

[domaintrades]

just got a email to,totally a scam
$109 to certify a domain.

That's cheap, mine wanted $199.00, things must be bad.

http://tools.authorize-merchant.net/appraisal.htm

 

[edi99]

These guys are still out there and shopping for fish! I received the exact same email and I'm glad that you guys started this forum about this scam. Thanks a lot!

 

[cosmicel]

Just got the same exact email today. Was suspicious when I saw a couple misspelled words in the email, and the Google Answers page looked like an obvious advertisement for Authorize Merchant. And yep their "appraisal" price went up to $199. Wish there was some way to catch and imprison these as$&#$@s.

 

[Dinesh.kumar]

Thankful to all of you guys.. I am going to play with the scammer.

 

[BeachLife]

Yeah, got these two emails today as well. Got to expose these guys in this community. Both Emails were sent from [email protected], which apparently was created in October 2017 !

1st Email:

Hello!

I represent a buyer from Japan who wants to purchase ........com for a new web project.

I've found your address via WHO IS.

My client is interested in purchasing your domain. If it's still for sale please get back to me.

He offers a good price. If it's not enough please let me know.

I'm working with many investors in Japan. If you have other names please email me the list.

Best regards,

Kamiko Nakamura

Domain Broker

XServer Hosting Inc.

Tokyo

Japan

Phone: 816776495329

https://www.xserver.ne.jp

2nd Email:

Commission of our company is only 5%. The commission is divided between you and the buyer as 50%/50% and paid after you get the money.

The buyer offers $35,000. If it's not enough please let me know and we will negotiate.

He will pay you money via Authorize Net (First German) Escrow. They support buyers from Asia and it's important for my buyer. He can only pay in YEN (JPY) and they will convert them into USD or EUROS to send you the payment. The escrow supports many payment methods and you will be able to receive your money easily.

Do you have a certificate? It's required by the buyer's bank.

The certificate must include the following to be accepted by my buyer:
- Ownership verification (the certification agency must confirm you are a legal owner).
- Legal verification (proves the domain has no problems with trademarks or other problems with the law in Japan).
- Restriction verification (the domain must not be pledged or sold to third parties).
- The certificate must be up to date (issued during last 30 days)
- Copy of the certificate in Japanese (required by the buyer's bank).
- The certification agency must be authorized by my buyer and his bank.

My buyer is a professional investor and he won't be able to send you the payment without this certificate. There is no other way for you and us to finish the sale. The payment to you will be made via escrow service to protect both parties during the transaction.

You can read about certification agency that is accepted by his bank and supports a copy in Japanese at Google Answers: http://no_url_shorteners/VCcma3 (I've made short form of the long Google Answers link. “Domain Broker” is my nickname).

The process is very easy (you can do everything online in several minutes):

1. Go to the certificate agency site accepted by my client and order the certificate. The service recommended at Google Answers is accepted by the buyer's bank (they support Japanese and English languages).

2. After they approve your request please make the payment. The certificate will be sent to your email within several hours. Send the certificate to me and we will start the sale process the same day.

Our company also takes care about you as a seller. There is no risk for you to lose the money after ordering the certificate even if something goes wrong. The recommended certification agency won't send you the payment instructions if your domain has some legal problems.

They also provide full money back guarantee if you don't sell your domain within 15 days.

If you are new to the certification process or unsure which certification agency to use, I can help you with the step by step instructions how to order a proper certificate online.

 

[domaintrades]

These people should have their scam sites closed down once they are 'discovered' by their hosting companies.

 

[SamBare]

I got the same email as yours. I'm going to play with his balls. Lol

 

[stewmath]

These people should have their scam sites closed down once they are 'discovered' by their hosting companies.

Just report the domain to their registrars, usually its email address [email protected] etc

 

[Bertrell]

I, too received 2 emails like the ones described above: 1st, the inquiry and 2nd, the "offer," which began as follows:

Commission of our company is only 5%. The commission is divided between you and the buyer and paid after you get the money.

The buyer offers $40,000 or 5 BTC. If it's not enough please let me know and we will negotiate.

He will pay you money via Authorize Int. (Swiss Escrow). They support Japanese language and buyers from Japan. It's important for my buyer to read everything in his native language. This escrow service supports many payment methods and you will be able to receive the money easily. They also support 50% advanced payment before you transfer your domain. The last 50% are released by the escrow after the transfer.

Do you have a certificate in English and Japanese? It's required by the buyer's bank.
...
​

Shortly after receiving the 2nd email, I looked up "Authorize Int Escrow," which brought me here.

I did reply to the 2nd email, pretty much directing them to one of the services where the domain in question is listed for sale.

I kinda figured it might've been too good to be true.

#OhWell

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[OmarVG]

thanks to the godaddy Whois Mask, this scammer will have a hard time to send his scam emails, at least from godaddy new registrations...

 

[Francine Callahan]

Yup. Although part of me wants to play along for apprehending purposes but probably dangerous and waste of time.

They're still out there. I just got one yesterday...

 

[Rafael Hernandez]

Thanks guys! this is the new email template, that they are using, I found the link of this thread on Google and now they are improving their techniques, using better domains and just 99$, I'll copy the complete email for SEO with the new domains to helps others, I was really happy, I think I won the lottery XD but the domain "swissescrow.world" from Vietnam with poor SEO on Google turns on the alarm.

Hello XXX,

Thank you! Your domain bid has been accepted by my buyer.


He will pay you 3,706,336 JPY (About $35.000) as he promised. Let's initiate the sale process.


We will transfer via Escrow Service. In this case, both buyer and seller will be protected during the transaction. The process will following steps:

1. You make a bid on website Escrow service.

2. Buyer will make an offer on your bid.

3. Seller will accept buyer offer via Email with them.

4. Buyer sends money to Escrow service

5. They release 50% funds to the seller.

6. Seller transfers domain to the buyer.

7. They release the rest to the seller.



Do you have a certificate? It's required by the buyer's bank.



The certificate must include the following to be accepted by my buyer:
- Ownership verification (the certification agency must confirm you are a legal owner).
- Legal verification (proves the domain has no problems with trademarks or other problems with the law in Japan).
- Restriction verification (the domain must not be pledged or sold to third parties).
- The certificate must be up to date (issued during last 30 days)
- Copy of the certificate in Japanese (required by the buyer's bank).
- The certification agency must be authorized by my buyer and his bank.

My buyer is a professional investor and he won't be able to send you the payment without this certificate. There is no other way for you and us to finish the sale. The payment to you will be made via escrow service to protect both parties during the transaction.

The process is very easy (you can do everything online in several minutes):


1. Please pick up one service and give you an appraisal in order to improve that you are the legal owner of your domain.

2. Go to the certificate agency site accepted by my client and order the certificate. The service recommended (they support Japanese and English languages).

3. After they approve your request please make the payment. The certificate will be sent to your email within several hours. Send the certificate to me and we will start the sale process the same day.



Sedo

Sedo also handily has the worlds largest database on website sales in its possession, which gives it a sizeable edge over its competitors when accurately sizing up a domain.

Domain Appraisal service costs 99 EUR (About $125) for one domain.

Of course, Sedo’s quality as a premium choice in evaluating websites is clear to see. The tool takes ten factors into account when looking at domains, including search engine suitability, advertising effectiveness, and buying/selling prospects.

Epik

Domain Appraisal can help you save money by giving you an expert opinion on a domain's value before you buy. Appraisals and fairness opinions are often used in negotiations.

Epik offers an analysis for a fixed fee of $395. Within 7 days of your order, you will receive a written report based on a custom analysis completed by a domain industry expert.

swissEscrow

Simply way where you are needing a one-time assessment of fair market value. Use swissEscrow (owned by a large Internet payment processor). Their certification includes a professional manual valuation (no scripts are used) and a trademark infringement verification.

Their Premium Domain Certification Service costs $99 for one domain and they offer volume discounts for bulk orders!

They support copies in Japanese (upon request). facebook.com/kenta.fujimoto

heteml.bid/
Fanpage: facebook.com/heteml/
Twitter: twitter.com/heteml

 

[Frank Waltham]

Darn, I got the same scam. Here is the latest email template. It's believable because they pose as Japanese, but lucky to find this thread!

You must have the certification to prove your domain have no problem with legal trademark and ownership verification.



The certificate accepted by his buyer’s bank :

- Ownership verification (the certification agency must confirm you are a legal owner).

- Legal audit (proves the domain has no problems with trademarks or other issues with the law in Japan).

- Restriction verification (the domain must not be pledged or sold to third parties).

- The certificate must be up to date (issued during last seven days)

- Copy of the document in Japanese (required by the buyer's bank).

You should use one service and get a proper appraisal.