At Zenergy Works, we have a consistent flow of calls from clients about domain name renewal notices. The majority of these notices are not from the current registrar of the client’s domain name, but a third party who is hoping to gain hosting or control of your domain by posing as your domain registrar. These communications can arrive via mail, telephone solicitation, or most commonly, email, like the very official-looking, but completely false, example below that we received on behalf of one of our clients. I have replaced the actual client domain with “domain name here” to preserve client privacy. Please note the sentence highlighted in yellow below in the fine print which discloses that no relationship currently exists between this firm and the client and discloses that the service provided is actually search engine submission.
From: Domain Services [mailto:domainindo25658@hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2013 11:59 PM
To: MEMBER OF NGM TEAM
Subject: Domain Notification: NEW GENERATION MEDIA This is your Final Notice of Domain Listing – Name of Domain Here-removed to preserve client privacy.
Importance: High
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Attention: Important Notice
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DOMAIN SERVICE NOTICE
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Complete and return by fax to:
1-212-913-9858
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ATT: NEW GENERATION MEDIA
ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACT
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TEAMMEMBER@NGMTEAM.COM
427 MENDOCINO AVE – – SANTA ROSA – CA – 95401
US
WWW.DOMAINNAMEHERE.COM
Please ensure that your contact information is correct or make the necessary changes above |
Domain Name: domainnamehere.COM
Search Engine Submission
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Requested Reply
FEBRUARY 5,2013
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| PART I: REVIEW SOLICITATION |
Attn: NEW GENERATION MEDIA
As a courtesy to domain name holders, we are sending you this notification for your business Domain name search engine registration. This letter is to inform you that it’s time to send in your registration and save.
Failure to complete your Domain name search engine registration by the expiration date may result in cancellation of this offer making it difficult for your customers to locate you on the web.
Privatization allows the consumer a choice when registering. Search engine subscription includes domain name search engine submission. You are under no obligation to pay the amounts stated below unless you accept this offer. Do not discard, this notice is not an invoice it is a courtesy reminder to register your domain name search engine listing so your customers can locate you on the web.
This Notice for: WWW.DOMAINNAMEHERE.COM will expire on February 5,2013 Act today! |
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Detail of Service:
SEARCH SUBMISSIONS |
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Reply by Date:
02/05/2013 |
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For Domain Name:
DOMAINNAMEHERE.COM |
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| Select Term |
Your Existing Domain |
Period Covered |
Price |
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DOMAINNAMEHERE.COM |
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| [ ] 1 year |
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02/05/2013 – 02/05/2014 |
$75.00 |
| [ ] 2 year |
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02/05/2013 – 02/05/2015 |
$119.00 |
| [ ] 5 year |
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02/05/2013 – 02/05/2018 |
$199.00 |
| [ ] 10 year |
-Most Recommended- |
02/05/2013 – 02/05/2023 |
$295.00 |
| [ ] Lifetime (NEW!) |
Limited time offer – Best value! |
Lifetime |
$499.00 |
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| Full Name: NEW GENERATION MEDIA |
Email: TEAMMEMBER@NGMTEAM.COMEmail 2: ____________________Phone: _____________________ |
| Want to receive this notification for other domains you own? simply list them below:_____________________ __________________________________________ _____________________ |
| Today’s Date: _____________________ |
Signature: _____________________ |
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Payment
Select the term and complete the form above, then return by fax: 1-212-913-9858
(do not include your credit card details on this form, just fill the information above and fax it to us, once we receive your fax we will send you instructions on how to make a payment by credit card, also make sure you provide us with your contact phone number above) |
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DOMAINNAMEHERE.COM |
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By accepting this offer, you agree not to hold DS liable for any part. Note that THIS IS NOT A BILL. This is a solicitation. You are under no obligation to pay the amounts stated unless you accept this offer. The information in this letter contains confidential and/or legally privileged information from the notification processing department of the DS. This information is intended only for the use of the individual(s) named above. There is no pre-existing relationship between DS and the domain mentioned above. This notice is not in any part associated with a continuation of services for domain registration. Search engine submission is an optional service that you can use as a part of your website optimization and alone may not increase the traffic to your site. If you do not wish to receive further updates from DS Go to http://jiffytext.com/url/ to unsubscribe. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that disclosure, copying, distribution or the taking of any action in reliance on the contents for this letter is strictly prohibited. * 100% satisfaction guaranteed, you may request a refund within 30 days.
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If you wish to check who your registrar is, you may do a Whois Search through a legitimate domain resource, (in the link above, Network Solutions), and find the domain name information as listed below. The current registrar is highlighted in yellow. I have used the registration of the domain for the Zenergy Works domain as an example.
| Current Registrar: |
TUCOWS DOMAINS INC. |
| IP Address: |
208.201.254.51 (ARIN & RIPE IP search) |
| Lock Status: |
clientTransferProhibited |
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Registrant:
New Generation Media
418 B St
Ste 100
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
US
Domain name: ZENERGYWORKS.COM
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Bottom Line: Know who your registrar is and respond only to renewal notices or communications from the authentic registrar of your domain name.
Eric Van Cleave is a Partner in Zenergy Works, A Santa Rosa, California based Website Design and Development, SEO and Online Marketing Firm.
