Possible GoDaddy Scam Alert

[a1nerd]

I'm very dissapointed and shocked that Godaddy would run such a scheme. I want to see if anyone has a similar expierence. I had a domain name that was supposed to drop today. Yesterday i got an email like this

Greetings,

I would like to buy your domain adamcarola.com, if possible.

If you are able to sell and release the rights to this domain please
let me know. I am looking to buy within a week or two so let me know
how much it would cost to take over this domain.

Regards,

Mike Bernstein

I called godaddy and asked them what do i need to do to sale this domain. They told me it looks like it's going to drop tomorrow and you must pay $9 to save the domain name so you can sell it. I purchase the domain name again and never got a response back from that mystery buyer. From what i can see this is some kind of auto generated email sent out by goaddy to scheme people into registering there domain name with them again before it's droped. Anyone else have this scheme sent to them? If so how do i report internet fraud?

 

[gou]

Hmm, that seems very odd...
I've never had that experience before.

 

[ahtum]

Post the full email you got from that guy and the original headers. I'm sure godaddy has nothing to do with it. Why? Is just too big :p

 

[Rom]

GoDaddy lol?

That's not GoDaddy's fault.

It's the person who wanted to buy.

 

[r4h]

well it would be a good idea to make a point of this and keep the eyes out... but people would catch on pretty quickly I would think.

 

[member-35138]

No way, we certainly do not send out fake emails.

Like Ahtum suggested, let me see the full headers of that email...

 

[edit]

Ya, GoDaddy is way too big to send out fake emails wanting to buy domains so you renew them lol. Though I'm sure you may have just given some small registrars an idea.

 

[Dan]

edit, exactly; they are big. Meaning they have more people to get more money from.

Either way, the headers of the email won't really show anything.

GoDaddy is a giant registrar, they could send an email from any domain, hosting, etc.

 

[a1nerd]

It can be a spoofed email address. The email address is not from godaddy. Anyone can easily spoof email addresses. I offer the guy the domain for $5 just to see if he was real and i never got a response. So it looks to be some auto generated response.

 

[_FLIP_]

Probably someone is doing this for fun to make people renew their domains that they would have let drop.

BTW, adam corolla, I love his radio show.

 

[floatingworld]

...you fell for a get-rich quick scam, got hurt, and then lashed out at GD. Oh dearie-dear...

 

[IAmAllanShore]

It can be a spoofed email address. The email address is not from godaddy. Anyone can easily spoof email addresses. I offer the guy the domain for $5 just to see if he was real and i never got a response. So it looks to be some auto generated response.

While anyone may be able to spoof an email address, post the full headers so we can check a little deeper, please

GoDaddy being behind the email is almost a laughable suggestion, as your $9 isn't worth the risk of any bad press (And any other issues aside, that just doesn't sound like a GD business practice.).

Thanks to GoDaddy for weighing in.

-Allan :gl:

 

[cache]

email address header should not help you any. You may just call gd and ask them if they sent out such email directly

 

[a1nerd]

not if they do it to millions of domain names. Do the math Just like paypal freezing peoples funds for 180 days and keeping the intrest.

While anyone may be able to spoof an email address, post the full headers so we can check a little deeper, please

GoDaddy being behind the email is almost a laughable suggestion, as your $9 isn't worth the risk of any bad press (And any other issues aside, that just doesn't sound like a GD business practice.).

Thanks to GoDaddy for weighing in.

-Allan :gl:

 

[namewaiter]

considering i registered xxx domains with them that drop routinely, i would guess i'd be getting xxx of the same emails from them?

 

[seeker]

if a domain was about to drop the next day, how on earth would $9 get it back???
that means it was at pending delete stage. No way they could get it back.
if it was at redepmtion, the price is MUCH higher than $9.
I dont understand your situation.

 

[CFH DJB]

seeker, the $9 is for renewal. As far as GoDaddy being behind this, though, I find it a little hard to believe. I have had quite a few domains registered with them in the past, and never experienced a problem like this.

 

[.X.]

if a domain was about to drop the next day, how on earth would $9 get it back???
that means it was at pending delete stage. No way they could get it back.
if it was at redepmtion, the price is MUCH higher than $9.
I dont understand your situation.

I agree,From what i have read,I definatly can't understand this situation.

considering i registered xxx domains with them that drop routinely, i would guess i'd be getting xxx of the same emails from them?

Same thing here,I have let many drop over the last month,The only e-mail i ever receive is the fact the name is expiring,Never anything else,This sounds like a spoof e-mail from someone else,I don't see godaddy doing business in a negative way...They also have TDNAM...They can simply auction off a domain name if the register lets the name expire.

 

[irishmat]

its defo not a scam, do you reckon GD would risk losing all its domaining customers over your $9

obviously just someone that decided against the domain

 

[Stevie]

I recieved the exact same e-mail from Mike Bernstein for a domain which expires in 2007. I did reply and no response as of yet. Coincidentally, the domain is registered at Godaddy.