Is this a scam??? Please help.

[dattkidd]

Hi all,

Im quite new to this and I recently was contacted by a firm that said they were interested in buying a domain from me. I picked it up at auction at tdnam>com on 27th Jan08, pretty cheap.

Anyways- i had it appraised (after some prompting from the buyer), and they came back with a good $XXXX appraisal. I sent a response with a link to the appraisal and an asking price, and heres what i got back:

"Your valuation looks reasonable enough and I agree with it.

To get a fair value I ordered another valuation from different site.

Since it's not smart to rely on one valuation only.

I've got the figure already. It's very close the result of your valuation.

Of course, I expected a lower estimation .

Anyway, now I see from different sources that your name has a good
potential.

My partners told me about ICANN rule that prohibits domain reselling before
two months from registration. I did not want to wait for two months.

Here is my solution:

I search for a buyer and get 14%-15% upon sale. I wrote about reselling in
first emails.

Of course, I don't require exclusive rights to sell. You can try to sell at
the same time. If I find a buyer faster I get my 15%.

I've already bought opt-in lists to promote your domains. I invested about
$150 in these opt-in lists.

Of course, I cannot list your names with brokers and auctions since I'm not
the owner.

I'm going to use your valuation in my promotio? Is it ok with you?

I think if you list your domains with several brokers and auctions it will
help us. Many buyers prefer to buy through auction sites or domain brokers.
Moreover, many brokers help with transfer. I'm not the owner so I can only
use my database to promote your domains and I cannot list. As the owner, you
can list your domains on www.eBay.com, www.Amazon.com, www.EasyNameSale.com
and www.Pool.com. Please don't forget to send your auction links."

- What the hell do i do from here??... I've had the domain for almost exactly 2 months, and i simply renewed it- i didnt register it.

-This response makes me a little suspicious, it seems almost auto-generated

- can anyone offer insight into what this person wants?

Thanks from a newbie,

Datt.
:D

 

[notlikeyou]

This sounds like an appraisal scam, did the "potential buyer" ask you to get it appraised at a specific place? If so you have been scammed. Just search "appraisal scam" on the forum search, you will more than likely see the same worded email form other posters.

Sorry if it's true.

 

[dattkidd]

bugger - oh well, you live 'n learn.

Thanks for the response.

Cheers,

Datt.

 

[Spade]

Alas, a tough lesson learned. This infact is a scam, and unfortunately it appears you've paid for it. Never buy an appraisal, its just downright silly and none of them are ever as accurate as they could be.

Justin

 

[guix]

This IS the infamous appraisal scam guy. Just search on NamePros with appraisal scam and you'll understand your pain...

 

[Red Rock]

Wow,
I had no idea!
Thx 4 the info.
What a Scumbag!

Hey Dattkidd,
Try estibot.com
He's a member here, and has a great appraisal site.
You can find abunch more, if you want a few diff. appraisal's.
And most are free!
Good Luck,
Red Rock!

 

[Billidn]

Yup, they will just try to get you to buy an appraisal from one of their scam sites. I would ignore the letter and any offers like it. Legitimate buyers would typically do their own research.

Just another note....the Scam letter talks about not wanting to wait "2 months" for transfer...as far as I know you can transfer to another account at the SAME registrar with no waiting period.

So IF this was a legitimate deal, all they would need to do is set up and account at same registrar as name is originally registered and you can "push" the name over to their account.

 

[inquirerSG]

man...that sucks

 

[cybermonkey]

Sorry to hear that. That's why its always good to consult with fellow domainers if something looks suspicious. And it won't cost you anything.

 

[dattkidd]

Thank you to all- i appreciate your thoughts too.

I've now subscribed to the Scams Threads and will make sure i keep up to date on those shady bastards out there. Too late i know, but with NPs i should hopefully be well armed for the future!!

 

[.tv]

Thank you to all- i appreciate your thoughts too.

I've now subscribed to the Scams Threads and will make sure i keep up to date on those shady bastards out there. Too late i know, but with NPs i should hopefully be well armed for the future!!

Don't delay. When I was entering into the domain business, I too learned this lesson, but got my funds back by chargebacking my CC payment. So I suggest you to chargeback your CC payment. Bank regulations may vary. Depending on your bank's regulations, you may file a dispute/chargeback within 90 days for this scam!

Also, report the website which is allegedly operating the domain appraisal service in cooperation with that email scammer.

Report them to:

Internet Crime Complaint Center

National Fraud Information Center

P.S: Don't forget to send the evidences including your payment receipt for that appraisal service (if any), and your email correspondences with that scammer (including full email headers).

Hope this helps!

 

[WORDSWORTH]

One of the best places to get free appraisals for your domain names is here at NamePros. Way better than any paid appraisal or free automated appraisal IMO. Do bear in mind when posting that your post and any replies are likely to get indexed in the search engines pretty quickly.

This can be a good thing indeed when posting quality names as potential buyers will likely Google a name before making an offer.

I'm sorry to hear you were ripped off. Always check the Alerts and Warnings section here at NP in future if you are suspicious of any other mailings you receive.

Matt.