Domain Scam Alert

[exponent]

I received the following today:

From: JunX <[email protected]>
To: [email protected],
Date: Jan 12, 2008 11:08 PM
Subject: I want a favor from you.[ Sorry...My English is not good ]

Dear Biars Steven:

I need to apologize first ,my English is not good.This is my first time to write an English letter,I write this letter to ask you a favor.Sorry again for my poor English, I am a college student from China,I learn Botany in the Southwest University of China .Now,I am a junior student.I like computer stuff.I learned program language (such as C.C++.PHP.VB.) by myself.

Now I want to build a website.I think it can help the devolopment of chinese internet.I see there are thousands of website builded up everyday in our country.but they haven't a good place to recommend their websites to us.I want build such place for them,also for the netizens in our country.I want to this site to help the sharing of information in our country.These days,there are too many idea ocurr to me.I like internet,I like building website.but I have a litter money to do this.there is a problem,I choose a very fantastic domain name, when I wanna register the domain name ,I found it had been registered by you. Dear Sir.Can you transfer it to me by 100 dollars?I really need your help Sir.

the domain name is:xyz.cc

Your prompt attention to this letter would be highly appreciated. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully

Besides the fact that I would never sell the domain for anything even remotely close to $100, I did a bit of homework to prove a point. The individual has several email addresses as it is. It might help their cause to have a name, but they don't. I sent a response and notified my registrar of potential fraud. The response is below:

THE DOMAIN IS NOT FOR SALE.

 

[chassmp3]

I find that hiding your privacy info helps, I've only been contacted once when I had domains parked at Sedo by someone who appeared to be a ligitimate candidate, who wanted to buy one of my domains, since my name was newly registered and had plans for it I turned down the option of selling very politely, so I never heard from the guy again. It sucks how much you have to look over your shoulder in everything you do here.

 

[nicholas]

There are all sorts, and they come in very different colors. Last week someone sold me a one-word domain along with his ordinary one (why he wanted to sell the ordinary one to go with the first one is what caused the alarm bells). Surprisingly, they had the same email address.

And sure enough it was clear he simply changed his WHOIS data to reflect the same exact one on the dictionary domain one. After verifying by sending an email to the email address in the other domain's WHOIS and not getting a reply as expected, I played along a little just to see how far he'd go. Eventually after almost begging to get paid, and I mentioned using escrow he says he prefers direct Paypal. Eventually I tell him to quit scamming and he says his mailbox is just full.

What's interesting here actually isn't that there was a scammer, but the fact that scammer was sure his methods would work. Who knows, maybe it does to others sometimes, and that's the sad part.