advice What I am doing wrong? Enabling Whois privacy but still plenty of sales calls

[valar]

Hello,

I hope everyone is doing well. Over the past few weeks,I have registered some .com domain names with exabytes.com who offered free Whois privacy.

However, for many of the domain names, I am still getting phone calls and emails offering me services...I think they get the data from Tucows or something like that?

Does anyone know how to prevent this in the future? I understand using a dummy email, alternate phone number etc. BUT somewhere in the domain registration I want to put my real information.

I usually have an owner contact with my real information and then an admin contact, and put the dummy information in the admin contact, but still, they are getting the real information for some of the domains.

I just want to avoid these marketing phone calls and emails.

Any advice is welcome.

Thanks!

 

[creataweb]

My guess is they sold your info to make more money.

 

[Kuffy]

Do you enable privacy at the time of registration, or after the name has been registered?

 

[Tarang]

I registered the domain with name silo and soon after that started getting phone calls. It seems privacy should be enabled.

 

[Kuffy]

I registered the domain with name silo and soon after that started getting phone calls. It seems privacy should be enabled.

I enable privacy at the time of registration. Those spammers can be persistent, and can track you through your hosting if you have a multi-domain plan. I just block the spammers domain, and sometimes the whole TLD if it's a "foreign" one.

 

[Lox]

always read terms (1# rule) https://www.exabytes.com/legal/privacy#How_is_customer_information_used

 

[Embrand]

always read terms (1# rule) https://www.exabytes.com/legal/privacy#How_is_customer_information_used

Wow! That is one company I am not going to use...

 

[valar]

@Kuffy @creataweb

I signed up for privacy at the time of registration - supposedly the registrar offer includes Whois privacy

What is the difference between Whois and Tucows?

One of the sales people who called me said that I registered the domain with Tucows and that they got the info from there

I appreciate your help

Thanks

 

[creataweb]

They sold your info...

 

[WhoaDomain.com]

or you've always been "in the Matrix" and never knew it. hey at least you get to wear the cool clothes and have carefree nookie.

 

[Kuffy]

It looks as if creataweb is correct.

What did you do wrong? You used Exabytes.

 

[valar]

@Kuffy @creataweb

Yes it seems that the problem is that I used Exabytes

Going forward I will not use them.

Which is a good registrar that truly offers privacy, and more importantly, does not sell info.

I guess the lesson learned is to not opt for offers for discounted registration at the cost of losing personal info

What is it called when I want to move the domain from Exabytes to another host? e.g. Go Daddy

Is that called a transfer? I want to move the domain names I have purchased from Exabytes, so I can be done with them.

Thanks!

 

[ivey]

Yes that's called a transfer(To a new domain registrar)..
I personally use Godaddy... I haven't had issues with their privacy as far as i can remember.

 

[creataweb]

I use Namesilo and Epik mostly. Free privacy and under $9 price.

 

[Hootsifer]

Turn off privacy for inbound, always. Get a different prepaid phone and list that.

 

[valar]

thank you

@Shuttlepro can you please tell me what do you mean by turn off privacy for inbound??

Should I transfer the names from exabytes now/soon or should I wait 11 months for the domain registration to expire?

I presume the transfer is independent of when the domain expires

What is the reason people transfer domains between registrars? For cheaper renewals?

Thank you

 

[Mister Funsky]

Epik...free privacy and no BS

 

[Hootsifer]

thank you

@Shuttlepro can you please tell me what do you mean by turn off privacy for inbound??

Should I transfer the names from exabytes now/soon or should I wait 11 months for the domain registration to expire?

I presume the transfer is independent of when the domain expires

What is the reason people transfer domains between registrars? For cheaper renewals?

Thank you

Always have your full info and phone listed under whois so onbound inquiries can reach you.

 

[valar]

Thank you

@Shuttlepro what is an inbound inquiry? Lets say I have a domain name for a elementary school, what would be the reason to have my full info listed under whois?

and would that not create the problem of sales people calling etc.?

 

[valar]

@Mister Funsky @creataweb I am interested in looking into Epik

Do all their .com domain registrations include free privacy?

What do you like about them? compared to the big player on the block, GoDaddy?

 

[Hootsifer]

Inbound inquiry is when somebody approaches you to purchase a domain name.

 

[valar]

thank you @Shuttlepro

 

[Kuffy]

I use Name Silo, and they have a reduced price offer for transfers at the moment. If you use the promo code HOTNAMES - then you will get a dollar reduction on your first purchase as well.

If you have just registered the name, you will have to wait for the 60 day security delay though.

 

[thekiller]

If OP has registered domain and enabled whois privacy at the time of registration and you still receive phone calls then your data is being sold. I have never had any issues with other registrars.

Exabytes is Tucows reseller, so allegedly information is being leaked by any of those. (I'm assuming). I registered at NameSilo and Name.com using free privacy and never received any calls or emails.

Just try one thing:

Use different email/phone number when you register new domain with privacy and then see if you still receive calls, then definitely data is being sold.

 

[frank-germany]

when I want to sell my domain
privacy for me is allways off