question-answered URGENT NOTICE: QRCODES.COM has been stolen from my EPIK account!

[Drunker]

Most likely it was stolen by EPIK management yesterday.
It was in my account only yesterday when QRCODES.COM was added to the shopping cart ready to be renewed (but removed as I decided to renew it today)

If it was stolen by someone outside EPIK, the time & details of the login (of thief) would have been notified to me by email.
Also the domain was locked so no way it could be transfered out.

If anyone tries to sell it, it's illegal!

 

[ramkumaritrvs]

you should contact ICANN immediately. Also contact godaddy.com to lock this domain with court order or something legal.

 

[Gabriele]

Most likely it was stolen by EPIK management yesterday.
It was in my account only yesterday when QRCODES.COM was added to the shopping cart ready to be renewed (but removed as I decided to renew it today)

If it was stolen by someone outside EPIK, the time & details of the login (of thief) would have been notified to me by email.
Also the domain was locked so no way it could be transfered out.

If anyone tries to sell it, it's illegal!

https://www.namepros.com/threads/epik-removed-70-domains-from-our-account.1292099/post-9301204

 

[pb]

It was in my account only yesterday when QRCODES.COM was added to the shopping cart ready to be renewed (but removed as I decided to renew it today)

Why would you do that with a domain that expired on March 12th? They probably took it after the 30-day grace period lapsed, GD and other registrars to the same all the time. Yes, it's messed up but ICANN is ok with this.

 

[Kyle Tully]

People still have epic accounts?

 

[silentg]

Yeah why keep your domains at Epik?

So many other reputable registrars without shady background.

 

[pb]

Yeah why keep your domains at Epik?

So many other reputable registrars without shady background.

...and most of them would also snag the domain after 30 days.

 

[Grilled]

Why would you do that with a domain that expired on March 12th? They probably took it after the 30-day grace period lapsed, GD and other registrars to the same all the time. Yes, it's messed up but ICANN is ok with this.

Following up on this thought, wouldn't the next step in this process be selling the domain at expiry auction, in this case nameLiquidate?

That is unless new epik is doesn't continue the practice of old epik and warehousing expired domains.

Carrying on... The most recent domain on nameLiquidate (pvidz.com) whois= expired on 9 March and was updated on 08 April.

OP's domain expired on 12 March, and was updated today 11 April, so assuming, unless otherwise intervened OP's domain is expected, will appear on nameLiquidate within the next few days....

@Drunker -- you may want to try and contact epik support staff or tag @epik hoping to connect with Christopher Ambler to discuss your options before the natural path of nameLiquidate takes place and your domain begins the dutch auction at $999.

Edit (added):: @Drunker you may want to consider editing the domain out this thread, as if you are unable to redeem your domain before it is auctioned off, this thread reads as a domainer beacon to draw a hoard of Domainers looking to snipe this domain as soon as it hits nameLiquidate. (Albeit the effort here may be futile since the op with domain name has already been quoted by multiple users.)

Bonus: if I were OP I'd do all I could to pay whatever the redemption fee is to restore this domain before it goes to nameLiquidate or epik warehouse if that's still applicable with new E.

 

[Gabriele]

I

Following up on this thought, wouldn't the next step in this process be selling the domain at expiry auction, in this case nameLiquidate?

That is unless new epik is doesn't continue the practice of old epik and warehousing expired domains.

Carrying on... The most recent domain on nameLiquidate (pvidz.com) whois= expired on 9 March and was updated on 08 April.

OP's domain expired on 12 March, and was updated today 11 April, so assuming, unless otherwise intervened OP's domain is expected, will appear on nameLiquidate within the next few days....

@Drunker -- you may want to try and contact epik support staff or tag @epik hoping to connect with Christopher Ambler to discuss your options before the natural path of nameLiquidate takes place and your domain begins the dutch auction at $999.

I'm not sure if that's the case here, but some domains are still being removed before they go to auction — they simply disappear from the account, just like what happened under the old Epik. These domains aren't even listed in the "Restore" section.

The best way to tell if a domain was cherrypicked or if it will actually go to auction is to check whether you received the usual "Urgent Action Required" email, the one that says:
"It’s time to redeem the following domain(s) before they are lost permanently."

and includes a link like:
https://registrar.epik.com/domain/expired-domains
to review and restore them.

 

[Grilled]

and includes a link like:
https://registrar.epik.com/domain/expired-domains
to review and restore them.

I was going to post that link but I couldn't personally verify if OPs domain would still appear when it's expired 30+ days because I don't have any expired domains at epik nor do I know the current process of when an expired domain is removed from the registrants account. Somebody with recent epik experience please chime in.

+ I assumed OP would have looked there already.

Seems like panic mode has been activated, and with a domain like that, it's not without reason!

 

[Drunker]

Why would you do that with a domain that expired on March 12th? They probably took it after the 30-day grace period lapsed, GD and other registrars to the same all the time. Yes, it's messed up but ICANN is ok with this.

Please - this is not a woe is me the domain passed the grace renewal period blabla

QRCODES.COM was still eligible for renewal at the time of my 1st post

I renewed 2 other domains with same expiry date 3/12/2025 today just after my 1st post

So I'm not in the wrong - it was still renewable.
Renewing last day is not a crime. And it certainly doesn't allow the registrar to steal it from me.

Plus the domain is not under link "Expired Domains - Redemption" or anywhere else accessible by me

On the WHOIS, the line "updated on" shows 4/11/2026 (yesterday)...the same time as the domain was removed from my account

TLDR
Still haven't heard from Support/Customer Services after 5 hrs...speaks volumes

EPIK.COM management stole it

 

[Drunker]

Guessing what must have happened was they received an email enquiry or offer from a 3rd party

(domain is under Anonymous WHOIS along with all my other domains)

Instead of relaying me the message (previously done on a few of my domains as under Anonymous WHOIS), support/management must have been tempted by the offer, replied on my behalf pretending to be me & kept the money

@epik

 

[Gabriele]

Please - this is not a woe is me the domain passed the grace renewal period blabla

QRCODES.COM was still eligible for renewal at the time of my 1st post

I renewed 2 other domains with same expiry date 3/12/2025 today just after my 1st post

So I'm not in the wrong - it was still renewable

Plus the domain is not under link "Expired Domains - Redemption" or anywhere else accessible by me

On the WHOIS, the line "updated on" shows 4/11/2026 (yesterday)...

TLDR
EPIK.COM management stole it

Still haven't heard from Support/Customer Services after 5 hrs...speaks volumes

Yes, see my previous post. Cherrypicked domains do not appear in the recovery section and do not go to auction, they simply disappear from the account sooner than expected.

 

[Drunker]

Misinf

Following up on this thought, wouldn't the next step in this process be selling the domain at expiry auction, in this case nameLiquidate?

That is unless new epik is doesn't continue the practice of old epik and warehousing expired domains.

Carrying on... The most recent domain on nameLiquidate (pvidz.com) whois= expired on 9 March and was updated on 08 April.

OP's domain expired on 12 March, and was updated today 11 April, so assuming, unless otherwise intervened OP's domain is expected, will appear on nameLiquidate within the next few days....

@Drunker -- you may want to try and contact epik support staff or tag @epik hoping to connect with Christopher Ambler to discuss your options before the natural path of nameLiquidate takes place and your domain begins the dutch auction at $999.

Edit (added):: @Drunker you may want to consider editing the domain out this thread, as if you are unable to redeem your domain before it is auctioned off, this thread reads as a domainer beacon to draw a hoard of Domainers looking to snipe this domain as soon as it hits nameLiquidate. (Albeit the effort here may be futile since the op with domain name has already been quoted by multiple users.)

Bonus: if I were OP I'd do all I could to pay whatever the redemption fee is to restore this domain before it goes to nameLiquidate or epik warehouse if that's still applicable with new E.

Misinformation

Domain was not expired past grace period.
Please just stop all posts with this erroneous assumption. It's not helpful.

I renewed 2 other domains with SAME expiry date (3/12/2025) today after my 1st post!

Sorry - renewing a domain last day is not a crime. Nor entitles registrar to simply steal it WHILE under renewal grace period

@epik

 

[Grilled]

I renewed 2 other domains with same expiry date 3/12/2025 today just after my 1st post

Technically speaking, Epik could be basing the removal deadline off of the exact Zulu Time on the WHOIS expiration rather than the date listed in the epik domain account dashboard.

For instance, the domain in the op was set to expire: 2024-03-12T14:51:53Z

Thus, if the other two domains expiring on March 12th that were renewed had a greater expiration time than 14:51:53 Zulu Time, those domains could have stayed in their epik account longer even though all of them had a March 12th expiration in the epik domain account dashboard.

TLDR EPIK.COM management stole it

Based on other expired epik domains, epik is currently auction domains that expired on March 9th. So it could be possible the domain is being prepared to be listed on nameLiquidate on April 13th or 14th.

 

[Grilled]

I renewed 2 other domains with SAME expiry date (3/12/2025) today after my 1st post!

I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just trying to exhaust all other possibilities before jumping to the stolen by epik conclusion.

Can you say what the full creation or expiration time according to whois for the March 12th domains you were able to renew?

I ask because I've been given this explanation before from registrars when asking why some domains with the same expiration date disappear from my account before others with the same expiration date.

30 days from March 12th 14:51 Zulu time, is April 11th 14:51 Zulu time, ie a deadline to renew by April 11th 4:51AM eastern time zone 10:51AM eastern time zone which is before this thread was created at 9:11PM EST.

 

[Gabriele]

Based on other expired epik domains, epik is currently auction domains that expired on March 9th. So it could be possible the domain is being prepared to be listed on nameLiquidate on April 13th or 14th.

If it were set up for auction it would immediately appear in the restorable domains section, but I think the OP said that this is not the case.

 

[Grilled]

If it were set up for auction it would immediately appear in the restorable domains section, but I think the OP said that this is not the case.

Ahh, that's the part I'm confused on!

Which is why I think you're mentioning the cherry picked aspect?

I am assuming domains are removed from that section after a specific time, and I think you are suggesting domains are cherry picked out of that section at random?

Taking epik's website at face value::

https://www.epik.com/support/life-cycle-of-epik-domains/

Epik’s Process for Expired Domains​

At Epik, our process for expired domains is a little different than some other registrars. The biggest difference is how we handle expired domains.

When you reach your Epik domain’s expiration date, the domain will be presumptively renewed. You’ll have a thirty-day grace period to renew your domain before it is up for grabs. The day the domain expires is day 1 of the grace period. Occasionally a customer contacts us after the thirty-day grace period and wants to know if they can still get their domain back. Most of the time, we can accommodate them, although it will have the added cost of a redemption fee.

Eventually, any expired domains that aren’t renewed, are either sold off at auction using NameLiquidate or deleted.

It doesn't mention epik warehousing domains, and I don't recall if new epik is continuing old epik warehousing practice. If new epik doesn't warehouse, then I don't see how epik could withhold this domain from nameLiquidate auction if OP is unable to redeem it in time.

 

[D Haynes]

I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just trying to exhaust all other possibilities before jumping to the stolen by epik conclusion.

Can you say what the full creation or expiration time according to whois for the March 12th domains you were able to renew?

I ask because I've been given this explanation before from registrars when asking why some domains with the same expiration date disappear from my account before others with the same expiration date.

30 days from March 12th 14:51 Zulu time, is April 11th 14:51 Zulu time, ie a deadline to renew by April 11th 4:51AM eastern time zone, which is before this thread was created.

This sounds like the likely scenario to me.

Never understood why people leave a name to expire. Why take that risk.

 

[D Haynes]

Ahh, that's the part I'm confused on!

Which is why I think you're mentioning the cherry picked aspect?

I am assuming domains are removed from that section after a specific time, and I think you are suggesting domains are cherry picked out of that section at random?

Taking epik's website at face value::

https://www.epik.com/support/life-cycle-of-epik-domains/



It doesn't mention epik warehousing domains, and I don't recall if new epik is continuing old epik warehousing practice. If new epik doesn't warehouse, then I don't see how epik could withhold this domain from nameLiquidate auction if OP is unable to redeem it in time.

There's no way they'd allow a name like that to sell for 999 bucks. They'd want to maximise their return hence the cherry picking. Let's see what Epik say though before I jump to any more conclusions lol

 

[Grilled]

This sounds like the likely scenario to me.

Never understood why people leave a name to expire. Why take that risk.

The part that's not adding up to me, and making me lean towards the cherry picked argument is this thread was created at 9:11PM EST April 11th, and OP was able to register other domains that expired on March 12th, after this thread was created. This thread creations time correlates to 1:11AM Zulu time April 12th. And if the deadline to register the domain in OP was April 11th, 10:51AM EST, then it would appear that the March 12th domains OP was able to renew should have been removed if it followed the same timeline as the OP domain removal. (*Maybe the difference could be epiks user interface is displaying expiration time based off a different time zone, such as California Time rather than what their expiration cycle follows? Idk assuming zulu?)

 

[Gabriele]

Ahh, that's the part I'm confused on!

Which is why I think you're mentioning the cherry picked aspect?

I am assuming domains are removed from that section after a specific time, and I think you are suggesting domains are cherry picked out of that section at random?

Taking epik's website at face value::

https://www.epik.com/support/life-cycle-of-epik-domains/



It doesn't mention epik warehousing domains, and I don't recall if new epik is continuing old epik warehousing practice. If new epik doesn't warehouse, then I don't see how epik could withhold this domain from nameLiquidate auction if OP is unable to redeem it in time.

I'm pretty sure of what I'm saying since I'm a last minute person like the OP and I lost about ten domains before I figured out the game. They never went to auction and never even showed up for a second in the list of restorable domains and I never even received the email mentioned above, they just disappeared.

 

[Grilled]

There's no way they'd allow a name like that to sell for 999 bucks. They'd want to maximise their return hence the cherry picking. Let's see what Epik say though before I jump to any more conclusions lol

I mean, is there any precedent to say otherwise?

Surely other high valued names would have dropped since new epik taking over; I'm curious to see how this has been handled in the past or will be handled if OP is unable to redeem.

I assume there's many Domainers who would buy this at $999, do we all just have to keep hitting refresh til it appears on NL for $999? I mean, if lawfully obtained, a registrar would be crazy to sell that at $999 or less, but maybe the devil lies in the details of epiks ToS?

 

[Grilled]

The best way to tell if a domain was cherrypicked or if it will actually go to auction is to check whether you received the usual "Urgent Action Required" email, the one that says:
"It’s time to redeem the following domain(s) before they are lost permanently."

and includes a link like:
https://registrar.epik.com/domain/expired-domains
to review and restore them.

How many days after expiration did you receive that email?

I don't have any epik emails that say "urgent action required." The last expiration email i received that has that link was for a domain 30 days expired, but I don't know how long it stayed in the /expired-domains account section after the email.

My last expired epik domain:

Domain Expired: December 2, 2023
Email Received: January 1st, 2024

The email also had a direct redeem URL to renew the domain.



However, now, 4+ months after expiration that direct redeem link obviously isn't working and now shows the error,

"The domain is not eligible for restore at this moment. Please contact customer support if you believe this is a mistake. (err-67f9fe7bc2574)"

I mention this because maybe OP @Drunker has a similar email with a working direct redeem URL where they can go to renew/redeem the domain?

 

[Gabriele]

it

How many days after expiration did you receive that email?

I don't have any epik emails that say "urgent action required." The last expiration email i received that has that link was for a domain 30 days expired, but I don't know how long it stayed in the /expired-domains account section after the email.

My last expired epik domain:

Domain Expired: December 2, 2024
Email Received: January 1st, 2025

The email also had a direct redeem URL to renew the domain.

Show attachment 273697

However, now, 4+ months after expiration that direct redeem link obviously isn't working and now shows the error,

"The domain is not eligible for restore at this moment. Please contact customer support if you believe this is a mistake. (err-67f9fe7bc2574)"

I mention this because maybe OP @Drunker has a similar email with a working direct redeem URL where they can go to renew/redeem the domain?

It's the same as before, they just changed the text a couple months ago. And there is no longer a direct link to restore individual domains but simply a link to the restorable domains section on the site.