Domain Theft Scare

[Ategy]

MODS: "... I'm still not sure if it's a GD issue or an Afternic issue (why I didn't post this as a review) as it seems like a problem between both companies (so I see it more as potential industry problem as opposed to being specific to a single company."


So I was out giving little Steamie a nice Winter walk .. then i return home to check my emails and get the following eMail:

One or more domains you're monitoring were Unlocked.

Domain status notification.

We received a request that the status be changed to:

Unlocked

The request includes the following domain names:

______________.com


Immediately followed by:

Action required: Authorize your domain listings.

Authorize your participation in Afternic.

Thanks for choosing GoDaddy as your Afternic Premium Network registrar.

Before your domain name(s) can be listed for sale on GoDaddy and other Afternic resellers, you must authorize your participation in the Afternic program.

Authorize Now

The following domain names have been requested for sale through the Afternic Premium Network:

___________.com


Obviously I'm writing all this because I didn't initiate or authorise either option.

So immediately I log in to my account to see if the domain is still there .. It's NOT !!!

So I decide to call GoDaddy first as I'm still not sure if it's a GD issue or an Afternic issue (why I didn't post this as a review) as it seems like a problem between both companies (so I see it more as potential industry problem as opposed to being specific to a single company)..

(I'm still on hold after 53 minutes .. which even I have to admit is unusual).


I then try to access my transaction history and records .. but of course that hasn't been working FOR MONTHS as all I get from links to "Order History" is:

This page isn’t working
If the problem continues, contact the site owner.

HTTP ERROR 431


Incidentally, this is what I get on the account settings page:

Yikes
Something went wrong and we're working feverishly to fix the issue.
Please wait a bit and try again.


So now I can't even check if it's actually my domain, if possibly it never entered my account when I acquired it through GD auctions .. or if maybe I let it expire and someone else picked it up yet somehow my WhoIs info wasn't changed.


Finally I open my own Excel inventory and the domain isn't there and wasn't one of the ones I moved over to my dropped sheet (I had missed putting a few there, so I still am not 100%).


It isn't a particularly strong domain (it's a 16 year old website builder call to action), so I'm thinking I likely let it drop. Also doing a quick search of my emails I don't see a email receipt for the domain that includes with a recent renewal (although it could very well be I never actually received the domain I paid for).


I do seem to have the proper number of my domains in my account ~+/- 1% .. and there are domains SIGNIFICANTLY more valuable, so at this point I don't think it's an actual hack/theft, although not 100% sure.


Just wondering if anyone else has received this sort of message combination.


PS .. Still on hold with GoDaddy (53 minutes now).


The worst part is .. this isn't even my close to being my most serious security concern with them! I hate to always be saying GoDaddy's platform is total garbage .. but I don't complain for nothing .. I'm also the first to say fixing a platform of that size and scale to a secure and usable level is a serious challenge and nowhere easy as people think .. but it has to be said that their integrity of their platform is a COLOSSAL FAIL .. @Joe Styler and @Paul Nicks .. I'm sorry for being so critical .. but there is something seriously wrong on multiple fronts with GoDaddy and/or Afternic.


If anyone has any ideas on what's going on, please let me know


ADDED: Forgot to mention the WhoIs is still all my information

 

[kandyan]

...

 

[Name Trader]

My biggest problem with this thread is how @Ategy refers to his wife condescendingly as little Steamie

It's the bugs and the seemingly lack of effort to fix them, which is has always been a problem. 7+ years ago it wan't like that. They used to fix them and even incorporated worthwhile suggestions. Which I was eternally grateful for. Today, I don't keep my domains at such a buggy registrar. I transfer my auction wins as soon as they are unlocked. I wouldn't keep them at GoDaddy a day longer. If you don't plan to keep your auction wins for at least 2 years, I don't see why you would wince at the slight front-ending the cash flow, and use a decent registrar

 

[WhoaDomain.com]

I have often reported STOLEN DOMAIN (S) in the past but many on here just pass it off as "all in my head".

Questions.

1. can't a domain be stolen if the registrant's email is hacked? or GD or NS or NB or whatever account is hacked too?

2. even with 2FA can't a domain be hacked if the mobile # number is changed by someone hacking your registrar account and having full control?

is this all fantasy scenarios? so what protection do we have?