Domain Theft

[Commerce]

Hard to believe after nearly 25 years, but I got hit by criminals who have stolen a number of my domains. Any insights beyond working with the registrar of record to resolve this quickly?

-Commerce

 

[JanO]

If the same registrar is this often involved in domain theft I would start to think someone within that registrar is actively involved in the theft. But maybe I'm dead wrong.

 

[bulkdomainz]

This scenario makes me wanna put all my names with a local registrar. If anyone tries this sh** with me, I'll be in court in a flash for an order that will have them releasing every single bit of info on what went down and making them liable for the safe return or my estimated value of my domain. Add a Police report of theft to that. They'll move fast to work something with the receiving registrar.

So sad to see this happening in our industry but the good news is no one can use those domains. Whoever buys them and puts a site or forwards them to a working site is in trouble.

Good luck, @Commerce

Bob, thanks for the question. At this point, every message I am sending to the registrar is being bounced through their normal and recommended contact method per their emails. I'm starting to get more than a bit frustrated by a phenomenal lack of communication. As a thank you, my registrar actually has now blocked my account with them. Kind of outrageous behavior for a customer who has been with them for longer than their current owners have held them. I'll keep you posted as I figure out how to navigate the system and get things back. Hopefully some of my discoveries may help others who may go through a similar experience.

Based on voice discussions, I understand the abuse team is on it, however I was also told I should have expected a phone call today that never happened. Will update tomorrow evening.

 

[MadAboutDomains]

I remember when web.com/netsol gave away France.com to another owner and didn't even have the courtesy to tell the owner who was running a business on there.

I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

That is by the by however, I hope that you are able to recover your names.

 

[Commerce]

Another day, another check in to implore the team at my registrar exploring the matter via their support folks to speak with me. So far, no joy. Very close to escalating the matter externally. At this point, I no longer have access to be able to login to my control panel to see what if any progress has been made.

I believe that this should not be rocket science. The kind of crime that has occurred here is not only foreseeable, it has already happened. Perhaps there is a backlog, but if I wanted to do something with the remaining domains, that is an option I no longer have. Thank heavens I was not in the middle of a sale, how remarkably unprofessional it would have made me look with a buyer.

 

[Commerce]

Well, figured an update was about due. Just before the end of February, connected with the security team and learned that the domains were immediately security locked on report. They have now been transferred back into my account, which also has additional security in place that should generally discourage any future attempts to steal domains from this registrar.

Thank you to all those who offered encouragement, advice and support. The biggest takeaways from all this are that you need to document everything, remain engaged in the process, keep asking about updates on the ticket(s) and don't lose hope. If you are new to domaining and do not have a history with a registrar you may well need to seek assistance from attorneys and resources who have expertise in recovery. Never be ashamed to share as a victim of online domain theft, as the community benefits from the experience.