GoDaddy Closed Account - Repossessed 15 domains

[mramirshaikh]

I have been contacting Godaddy since many days and nothing is happening, I am not even getting any response anymore, support agents were helpless as they always said that the concerned department only works via email.


So this is what happened exactly,

1. On Friday 25-06-2021 12:19 AM , I got an email from Godaddy that on of my domain is serving some malicious content and I have 24 hours to remove that content, otherwise my domain will be suspended. They didn't provide any details of that content, instead just mentioned my homepage.
   
   
   
2. After around 13 hours, I contact Godaddy live chat, the agent checked my site and confirm that my site is clean and nothing will happen, he asked me to email hostsec(at)godady.com, which I did.
   
   
3. While I was sending them an email, I got another email from Godaddy that my domain is now suspended (NOTE THAT IT WAS JUST 13 HOURS, I WAS NOT EVEN PROVIDED COMPLETE 24 HOURS), I asked the agent about it and he asked me to email hostsec(at)godaddy.com and they will add my domain again in my account.
   
   
4. In response to my email, I got a response from GoDaddy that I have violated some TOS, and the domain is now permanently suspended.
   
   
5. After that I replied to them and asked for a reason as I was sure that there was nothing wrong with my website, I also got it checked from my hosting provider, but in response, Godaddy said that they can't explain and I have to read TOS.
   
   
6. After that I had many chats with support agents and calls as well but they were helpless as they said that the concerned department only works via email and only that department can explain the reason, all of them asked me to email hostsec(at)godaddy.com, I did several emails and with each email, a new incident ID gets created, but I never got a reply
   Following are the incident IDs created, I was emailing them whenever I had a chat with the agent and they all suggest emailing hostsec(at)godaddy.com with details.
   45151090
   45155445
   45158064
   45163408
   
   
7. Though I never got any response for the above incidents, on 30-06-2021, I got an email from Godaddy that another of my domains has been suspended as its serving malicious content, again they didn't provide any details.
   
   
8. Along with that suspension, I got a reply on my incident id 45158064, but the response was not anything about the domain, instead, they said that my account is now permanently closed, and this is how I lost all my domains.

 

[mramirshaikh]

Did you change your payment method, credit card number or account information in the last few months?

No, nothing wrong with payments, I didn't change payment method either. In fact most of the domains were recently renewed and everything was just fine.

 

[mramirshaikh]

Thanks for the info. Judging by that domain they have no business repossessing your domains solely based on the fact your website may be compromised.

If there are other factors in play (TM ?) they should follow standard procedure. Unless there are payment issues on your account I can't think of anything that might justify taking over your domains and not allowing you any access to them. If they don't come up with any info that makes sense I'd file an ICANN complaint.

But before that, give Joe some time to look into it. If they're in the wrong he'll make it right.

I don't think content on my website was any issue, coz I even provided the support team, list of websites that are serving very similar content as mine.

I am waiting for Joe's response ICANN can't help in my situation either, coz they say that if a registrar is doing something because of their TOS, they can't help and if we think registrar is breaking their own TOS, we have to go for legal action.

 

[Clover]

Yea, screw GoDaddy, I never hear good about them.

I made an account and bought like 10 domains, registered for their marketplace, registered my tax info, ssn and everything, then I add a few domains to the market, paying for extra exposure for a couple, then boom my account gets closed, my marketplace listing gets refunded, day or two later I contact them live and explain I will need to get a new photo ID before I can send them a picture to verify it and asked them to leave my domains in my account, the lady said not to worry they will wait for me to show photo ID before refunding my domain purchases, then the next day I got a bunch of notifications on my card app for deposits (refunds) got excited and saw my email filled with refund transaction emails.

I have never had a problem with NameCheap, and I know people who have gotten by a long time even hosting very malicious content with domains registered with them, they won't bother you. (not trying to spread bad word, just saying)

 

[mramirshaikh]

As a member suggested, I want to try getting auth codes from Godaddy so that I can transfer my domains, I don't want refunds or anything but at least I can get my domains back.

But the problem is that Godaddy isn't replying to me anymore, is there anyone on the forum who can help me by emailing GoDaddy at [email protected] and ask them to provide me auth codes.

I will share a list of my domains, I would be really grateful if someone can do it for me, please.

@Joe Styler can you help me get this done? It's okay if Godaddy doesn't want to return my domains but at least allow me to transfer them away, I paid for them and I guess this is the least you can do that give me back my domains, though I have to pay for the transfer again, I have a lot at stake coz if my client filed a case, I would be in big trouble.

 

[mramirshaikh]

UPDATE:

I gave it another try, and this time there is a new excuse.

"My domain was not of correct nature" .

Every agent have a new story, https://paste.pics/D8YHO

 

[WGS_Thunder]

Thanks for the warning. I'll be sure not to register any incorrect nature domain names at Godaddy.

 

[mramirshaikh]

Thanks for the warning. I'll be sure not to register any incorrect nature domain names at Godaddy.

If you take my suggestion, better not register anything with them. I am about to face a lawsuit from my client and the irony is that I even don't know what I did wrong.

 

[jberryhill]

Here is one of the domains of my clients,

When you refer to them as your clients, could you be specific about what it is you did for them and why their domain name was in your account?

I will share a list of my domains

That might be helpful if you posted that here.

 

[mramirshaikh]

When you refer to them as your clients, could you be specific about what it is you did for them and why their domain name was in your account?



That might be helpful if you posted that here.

I own a web agency where I charge clients on a monthly basis and provide A-Z services inc domain, hosting, website dev and maintenance.

I use third party services for domain and hosting and I got things related to hosting covered in my TOS, but my bad that I didn't have anything related to domains coz I had no idea something like that is even possible that a registrar can take away your domains whenever they want.

The process doesn't involve purchasing domains as clients do it on their own (and we adjust on setup cost) but some clients are not tech savvy at all so I do it for them.

 

[mramirshaikh]

Update: I got a response from Joe Styler

Hi Amir, I let the team who handles these kind of escalations know about it. It is up to them now if they reach out. I have done all that I can do.

Though I don't think they are gonna reach out, but I really appreciate help from Joe and all of you guys on this forum.

Anyone reading this in future, I would appreciate your help if you can email [email protected] and ask them to provide me auth codes for my domains at least so I can transfer them. (NOTE: I didn't get refund for any of my domains)

This is the only option I am left with, coz they are not replying me, may be they do, if multiple people ask them.

 

[noneisnone]

@Joe Styler no idea about the details of op case but a disappointing response from you always looked at your presence on namepros as reassurance that no matter what goes wrong at godaddy your the go to guy

 

[Lox]

Well, my guess -chargeback issue / fake fraud alarm (table tennis) - your bank < > gd

or maybe ...

A few of the very common symptoms why Godaddy repossesses the domain names are below

• The purchase is made by a credit card expiring in next few months and the amount of purchase is relatively larger.
• The Godaddy account under consideration is very new (in some cases, created right before making the purchase).
• The product was bought from an account and it was instantly transferred to an another established Godaddy account. (This was the case which happened with me).
• The billing address listed on your account and the one associated with the credit card used to make the payment does not match.

read more (thetechbulletin)

one more example

 

[Clover]

Well, maybe ...

A few of the very common symptoms why Godaddy repossesses the domain names are below

• The purchase is made by a credit card expiring in next few months and the amount of purchase is relatively larger.
• The Godaddy account under consideration is very new (in some cases, created right before making the purchase).
• The product was bought from an account and it was instantly transferred to an another established Godaddy account. (This was the case which happened with me).
• The billing address listed on your account and the one associated with the credit card used to make the payment does not match.

read more (thetechbulletin)

one more example

Either way, you'd think a "leading registrar" like GoDaddy would have better support.

Good response, thank you.

 

[noneisnone]

@Clover in some cases especially ones involved with payment issues the support will refuse to you let know what was the exact issue to avoid credit card fraud to improve there ways and learn the system had that happen to me with google ads they stopped my account and refused to provide me with the exact issue even tho everything was legit the system flagged it down

so if the case is related to credit card fraud i can understand the vague response but anything else no excuse

 

[mramirshaikh]

@Clover in some cases especially ones involved with payment issues the support will refuse to you let know what was the exact issue to avoid credit card fraud to improve there ways and learn the system had that happen to me with google ads they stopped my account and refused to provide me with the

Well, my guess -chargeback issue / fake fraud alarm (table tennis) - your bank < > gd

or maybe ...

A few of the very common symptoms why Godaddy repossesses the domain names are below

• The purchase is made by a credit card expiring in next few months and the amount of purchase is relatively larger.
• The Godaddy account under consideration is very new (in some cases, created right before making the purchase).
• The product was bought from an account and it was instantly transferred to an another established Godaddy account. (This was the case which happened with me).
• The billing address listed on your account and the one associated with the credit card used to make the payment does not match.

read more (thetechbulletin)

one more example

Thank you for details but my issue isn't about payments at all. Its the same card I've been using for last few years.

 

[jberryhill]

@Joe Styler no idea about the details of op case but a disappointing response from you always looked at your presence on namepros as reassurance that no matter what goes wrong at godaddy your the go to guy

He doesn't run the company. While he can certainly pass along a message to the appropriate business unit, I'm pretty sure that the entirety of GoDaddy is not under his control. Also, just because someone says something on a web forum doesn't mean there is not more to the story. "Farmville2FreeGifts.com" doesn't exactly scream "legitimate business". But be that as it may, let's have a look at this one...

judging by that domain they have no business repossessing your domains

Well, let's take a closer look at that domain... While it didn't leave much of a trace as an actual website anywhere, it did appear in an ad which ran for two editions of the Cayman Compass (the main newspaper in Cayman):

Now, this is kind of interesting for a couple of reasons. Cayman had been locked down for a couple of months, and is still difficult to get into and out of, and one of the notable scandals on the island was that one of their politician's wives had been having her personal trainer over for fitness sessions. But, somehow, this outfit had a need for a Latin dance instructor with an outstanding 15 years' experience. Because, hey, when I need Latin dance instruction, I'm not going to settle for someone who has only been doing it for ten years.

The qualifications for this position are kind of interesting, since both of the listed qualifications only exist in one place....

Okay, so, you have a business with only a domain name who runs an ad for two weeks for an amazingly-qualified Latin dance instructor.

The point of this ad is that there is a non-Caymanian who is on the island who possesses these qualifications (or something that looks like them) and whose work permit, for whatever they are actually doing there, is about to expire. So, in order to stay on the island, they have to come up with a job for which only this expat is qualified, run the ad for two weeks, say they couldn't find a "qualified Caymanian or legal resident" to fit the description, and so they can apply for a work permit for this particular person. As it turns out, I have several friends in Cayman, including some who work for GoDaddy, who can provide a lot of insight into immigration scams like this one.

But it also helps to try to build up some kind of appearance of reality, such as having a YouTube channel like, say, this one:

The problem, as one can tell from the purple logo on the floor (and from other clues in the several videos posted to that account) is that most of the videos in that account are copied from an Arthur Murray dance studio in Victoria, British Columbia, and the other videos are copied from this filmmaker:

...which was shot in a church in Canada. That window in the background is here:

https://www.christchurchcathedral.bc.ca/events/guided-tour

But, it gets better. If you are going to try to fake an internet presence, you'll need some site copy from a reputable agency:

Recognize those church windows? Kind of odd that if you are advertising to Caymanians, you'd use a picture from a place that any Caymanian would know, just by looking, is not in Cayman. There is a pretty big church over on Crewe Road, but it doesn't have those windows.

Now, leaving aside the distinction between "form" and "from", this agency does some interesting work:

And, sure, these things come in handy too:

So, yeah sure. If you are going to scam your way into a Cayman work permit, you might as well have some spending money and ID to go with it. That Belgian driver's license really gets around too, such as in this article posted to LinkedIn:

Which, through the name of Ainsley Aiken, brings us full circle back to:

So, sure, nothing to see here. Just your everyday Latin pandemic dance instruction immigration scam that happens to steal videos from other people and uses the web content and promotion services of counterfeiters and fake ID vendors.

Nothing dodgy about that. Do I get my Farmville 2 free gifts now?

 

[Samer]

He doesn't run the company. While he can certainly pass along a message to the appropriate business unit, I'm pretty sure that the entirety of GoDaddy is not under his control. Also, just because someone says something on a web forum doesn't mean there is not more to the story. "Farmville2FreeGifts.com" doesn't exactly scream "legitimate business". But be that as it may, let's have a look at this one...



Well, let's take a closer look at that domain... While it didn't leave much of a trace as an actual website anywhere, it did appear in an ad which ran for two editions of the Cayman Compass (the main newspaper in Cayman):

Show attachment 196033

Now, this is kind of interesting for a couple of reasons. Cayman had been locked down for a couple of months, and is still difficult to get into and out of, and one of the notable scandals on the island was that one of their politician's wives had been having her personal trainer over for fitness sessions. But, somehow, this outfit had a need for a Latin dance instructor with an outstanding 15 years' experience. Because, hey, when I need Latin dance instruction, I'm not going to settle for someone who has only been doing it for ten years.

The qualifications for this position are kind of interesting, since both of the listed qualifications only exist in one place....

Show attachment 196034

Show attachment 196035

Okay, so, you have a business with only a domain name who runs an ad for two weeks for an amazingly-qualified Latin dance instructor.

The point of this ad is that there is a non-Caymanian who is on the island who possesses these qualifications (or something that looks like them) and whose work permit, for whatever they are actually doing there, is about to expire. So, in order to stay on the island, they have to come up with a job for which only this expat is qualified, run the ad for two weeks, say they couldn't find a "qualified Caymanian or legal resident" to fit the description, and so they can apply for a work permit for this particular person. As it turns out, I have several friends in Cayman, including some who work for GoDaddy, who can provide a lot of insight into immigration scams like this one.

But it also helps to try to build up some kind of appearance of reality, such as having a YouTube channel like, say, this one:

Show attachment 196036

The problem, as one can tell from the purple logo on the floor (and from other clues in the several videos posted to that account) is that most of the videos in that account are copied from an Arthur Murray dance studio in Victoria, British Columbia, and the other videos are copied from this filmmaker:

Show attachment 196037

...which was shot in a church in Canada. That window in the background is here:

https://www.christchurchcathedral.bc.ca/events/guided-tour

But, it gets better. If you are going to try to fake an internet presence, you'll need some site copy from a reputable agency:

Show attachment 196039


Recognize those church windows? Kind of odd that if you are advertising to Caymanians, you'd use a picture from a place that any Caymanian would know, just by looking, is not in Cayman. There is a pretty big church over on Crewe Road, but it doesn't have those windows.

Now, leaving aside the distinction between "form" and "from", this agency does some interesting work:

Show attachment 196040


And, sure, these things come in handy too:


Show attachment 196041

So, yeah sure. If you are going to scam your way into a Cayman work permit, you might as well have some spending money and ID to go with it. That Belgian driver's license really gets around too, such as in this article posted to LinkedIn:

Show attachment 196042

Which, through the name of Ainsley Aiken, brings us full circle back to:

Show attachment 196043


So, sure, nothing to see here. Just your everyday Latin pandemic dance instruction immigration scam that happens to steal videos from other people and uses the web content and promotion services of counterfeiters and fake ID vendors.

Nothing dodgy about that. Do I get my Farmville 2 free gifts now?

How much u charge? Dont like Godaddy; but you the best.

Just case require u services, Harvey Specter.

 

[jberryhill]

And, remember folks, only buy your counterfeit bank notes from a reputable and secure vendor:

 

[Joe Styler]

How much u charge? Dont like Godaddy; but you the best.

Just case require u services, Harvey Specter.

I'm not sure @jberryhill likes GoDaddy or will be buying me a beer any time soon but I think both of us are honest people and he calls it like he sees it. For that I have a lot of respect for him, even if we disagree on things at times.
I think society as a whole (generalizing of course) has lost sight of the fact that it is ok to disagree with someone on things and still have respect for the other person or party. - [Gets off soapbox]
John has done a lot for the industry over the years and I appreciate that. I also like that this time he could post on the thread things I cannot. Speaking on behalf of a public company has certain limitations.
Next time I see him I owe him a beer

 

[Lox]

just for the record ...

namegeneratorpro.com
Ranked as the number 1 name generator for multiple categories:

facebook .com/namegeneratorpro/

https://medium.com/@namegeneratorpro

https://www.scribd.com/user/497899745/Name-Generator

https://www.webwiki.com/namegeneratorpro.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3s9eoy7KTwth8YE49hMdqg

https://www.pinterest.com/ngeneratorpro/

namegeneratorpro / @ / gmail.com

 

[branding]

He doesn't run the company. While he can certainly pass along a message to the appropriate business unit, I'm pretty sure that the entirety of GoDaddy is not under his control. Also, just because someone says something on a web forum doesn't mean there is not more to the story. "Farmville2FreeGifts.com" doesn't exactly scream "legitimate business". But be that as it may, let's have a look at this one...



Well, let's take a closer look at that domain... While it didn't leave much of a trace as an actual website anywhere, it did appear in an ad which ran for two editions of the Cayman Compass (the main newspaper in Cayman):

Show attachment 196033

Now, this is kind of interesting for a couple of reasons. Cayman had been locked down for a couple of months, and is still difficult to get into and out of, and one of the notable scandals on the island was that one of their politician's wives had been having her personal trainer over for fitness sessions. But, somehow, this outfit had a need for a Latin dance instructor with an outstanding 15 years' experience. Because, hey, when I need Latin dance instruction, I'm not going to settle for someone who has only been doing it for ten years.

The qualifications for this position are kind of interesting, since both of the listed qualifications only exist in one place....

Show attachment 196034

Show attachment 196035

Okay, so, you have a business with only a domain name who runs an ad for two weeks for an amazingly-qualified Latin dance instructor.

The point of this ad is that there is a non-Caymanian who is on the island who possesses these qualifications (or something that looks like them) and whose work permit, for whatever they are actually doing there, is about to expire. So, in order to stay on the island, they have to come up with a job for which only this expat is qualified, run the ad for two weeks, say they couldn't find a "qualified Caymanian or legal resident" to fit the description, and so they can apply for a work permit for this particular person. As it turns out, I have several friends in Cayman, including some who work for GoDaddy, who can provide a lot of insight into immigration scams like this one.

But it also helps to try to build up some kind of appearance of reality, such as having a YouTube channel like, say, this one:

Show attachment 196036

The problem, as one can tell from the purple logo on the floor (and from other clues in the several videos posted to that account) is that most of the videos in that account are copied from an Arthur Murray dance studio in Victoria, British Columbia, and the other videos are copied from this filmmaker:

Show attachment 196037

...which was shot in a church in Canada. That window in the background is here:

https://www.christchurchcathedral.bc.ca/events/guided-tour

But, it gets better. If you are going to try to fake an internet presence, you'll need some site copy from a reputable agency:

Show attachment 196039


Recognize those church windows? Kind of odd that if you are advertising to Caymanians, you'd use a picture from a place that any Caymanian would know, just by looking, is not in Cayman. There is a pretty big church over on Crewe Road, but it doesn't have those windows.

Now, leaving aside the distinction between "form" and "from", this agency does some interesting work:

Show attachment 196040


And, sure, these things come in handy too:


Show attachment 196041

So, yeah sure. If you are going to scam your way into a Cayman work permit, you might as well have some spending money and ID to go with it. That Belgian driver's license really gets around too, such as in this article posted to LinkedIn:

Show attachment 196042

Which, through the name of Ainsley Aiken, brings us full circle back to:

Show attachment 196043


So, sure, nothing to see here. Just your everyday Latin pandemic dance instruction immigration scam that happens to steal videos from other people and uses the web content and promotion services of counterfeiters and fake ID vendors.

Nothing dodgy about that. Do I get my Farmville 2 free gifts now?

Now that's some thorough research . Thanks for the info. Good to see there's more to the story which makes it just a bit more acceptable to see them reposes domains. Not a fan of shutting down websites by grabbing peoples domains but you know... that's another discussion .

 

[xynames]

See:
AVOID GoDaddy hosting company they will shut down all your sites if even one Trademark claim is made

The problem with GoDaddy is they sometimes throw the baby out with the bathwater - in other words, if there is one potential issue with one domain or site, they may trash (delete) your entire hosting, and if you don't have everything backed up including databases you will lose everything.

With the above case, my client lost all the databases all content that he did not have backed up at his own end, but was able to move the domains to another registrar.

 

[mramirshaikh]

Ok guys, so John finally proved that i was doing something wrong. Lolz . Even he himself knows that the story is lame.

And what about namegeneratorpro bro ? Please tell me why it was there and ranking on tons of keywords? Please enlighten me what policies were broken.

Guys go on, use Godaddy. Its the best company.

 

[mramirshaikh]

Bdw just to let you know you guys , youdancecayman had SEO done from some digital marketing agency , not mine. So John, you had to work on your spy work mate , I only make websites and provide CMS to clients.

Bdw I have heard that @Joe Styler also owns a few sites, so in case if someone on the internet go to video sharing,pdf sharing and other free sources on internet and make a few spam links, will Godaddy also take away his domains ? Just asking ?

 

[MasterOfMyDomains]

Mr. Berryhill, thank you for your time and research.
@mramirshaikh you shouldnt have lumped customers legitimate businesses in with yours. I want to build a controversial website, but it sure as hell wont be hosted where my other sites are.
Time to come up with some new ideas, a church in victoria

Your getting pissed now eh buddy. Shifting blame wont work, it will encourage honest people to seek the truth.