Domain Name Registration Scams -
Domain Solutions Central
Have you received "FINAL NOTICE" email from "Domain Solutions Central"? Here's
yet another version of the same sleazy attempt to con domain name owners by using the information available
from the public domain name registrars. If you own a website, and
particular, a domain name, you will probably soon receive an email that looks
like the one below. We've substituted generic phrases for the
names you'll see, but other than that, this is what you will see.
Here's how their scam works: The owner of a domain name receives an
email like the one below, from Domain Solutions Central
The subject of the email "This is your final notice of domain
listing" clearly implies that your domain registration has expired and been
purchased by someone else and you are
about to lose your domain name.
This email looks almost identical to one sent by
support@domainnotificationcenter.us
And be sure to see the previous scam
they sent out, on this page. It appears as though "Domain Solutions Central"
and "Domain Notification Center" use the same email, with the same wording in an
attempt to mislead and scare website owners in to purchasing additional domain
names from them. See the Domain
Notification Center scam.
Here is what the scam email looks like:
Domain Solutions Central
130 Church Street Suite 280
New York, NY 10007
Web:
www.domainsolutionscentral.com
Email:
support@domainsolutionscentral.com
Toll Free: 1-800-270-5944
Phone: 1-212-671-1191
_______________________________FINAL NOTICE
______________________
ATT: <name removed>
ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACT
< your name and address here >
< your website's address here >
Notice Tracking Number: 7180003
Please be advised that the above noted domain name
has now become available for registration.
Consequently the possibility of a conflicting domain
registration may occur.
________________________________________
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE UNITED STATES LEGAL CODE
________________________________________
TITLE 15, Sec 1125. False descriptions, and dilution
of Trademarks and the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)
Be advised: Protecting a domain name registrant or trademark owner from
confusing and/or conflicting domain name registrations is not the
responsibility of the domain and trademark registration processes. In the
event of a registration of the above noted domain by a third party, the UDRP
may be applied under the following conditions.
Evidence of Registration and Use in Bad Faith. - For
the purposes of Paragraph 4(a)(iii), the following circumstances, in
particular but without limitation, if found by the Panel to be present,
shall be evidence of the registration and use of a domain name in bad faith:
(i) circumstances indicating that the domain name
registered or acquired the domain name primarily for the purpose of selling,
renting, or otherwise transferring the domain name registration to the
complainant who is the owner of the trademark or service mark or a
competitor of that complainant, for valuable consideration in excess of your
documented out-of-pocket costs directly related to the domain name; or
(ii) the domain name has been registered in order to
prevent the owner of the trademark or service mark from reflecting the mark
in a corresponding domain name, provided that you have engaged in a pattern
of such conduct; or
(iii) the domain name has been registered primarily
for the purpose of disrupting the business of a competitor; or (iv) by using
the domain name, registrant has intentionally attempted to attract, for
commercial gain, Internet users to their web site or other on-line location,
by creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant's mark as to the
source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement or your web site or
location or of a product or service of a web site or location.
In addition to remedies provided for by the URDP,
section 4a (1)(2)(3) & b (1)(2)(3)(4) existing registrants, trademark and
service mark owners are provided by DUC on domain names that are identical
with new ccTLD, TLD extentions, or domain names that are confusingly similar
to their own.
You are required to advise the Domain Solutions
Central of your intent to license this name on or before the expiration of
this notice.
Note: you may disregard this notice. If you
disregard this notice or fail to reply:
(a) The licensing rights of this domain name may be
assigned to any other applicant,
(b) DUC and or any ICANN accredited registrar will
not be liable for loss of domain name license, identical or confusingly
similar use of your company's domain name; or interruption of business
activity or business losses.
________________________________________
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
________________________________________
If you fail to reply to DSC this domain may be
registered by any third party without further notice. You must advise us of
your intent to (a) secure this domain name or (b) to leave this domain name
for Public Registration.
________________________________________
Call 1-800-270-5944
Notice Tracking Number: 7180003
________________________________________
The information in this letter contains confidential
and/or legally privileged information from the notification processing
department of the DSC. This information is intended only for the use of the
individual(s) named above. Email
support@domainsolutionscentral.com if you do not want to receive further
updates from DSC. 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.
Other references and background information
related to this and similar scams
See these pages:
Other Domain Registration Scams
"Domain Registry of America" (also called
"Domain Registry of Canada")
This "company" is targeting domain name owners to
transfer their domains by renewal. They are a reseller who use the following
ICANN accredited registrars:
- eNom Inc. (eNom.com)
- Brandon Gray Internet Services, Inc. (NameJuice.com)
They obtain your contact information through the publicly accessible WHOIS
database, and send renewal notices through regular postal mail in an envelope
and on stationary that is intentionally designed to look like an official
renewal notice.
Do not make any payments to "Domain Registry of Canada"/"Domain Registry of
America" in order to renew your domain. Just renew your domain, when necessary,
with the registrar you initially used! You can always transfer your domain to
another company at any time, if you so choose!
If you have already made a payment to this company, we suggest contacting
your bank or credit card company and ask for the payment to be stopped or
reversed.
" Domain Registry of America" have already had a court injunction against them
with regard to domain name reselling. For more information, please read these
articles:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/12/domainreg.htm
http://www.whois.sc/news/2002-12/registry-america.html
What should you do?
Should you receive ANY unsolicited email or postal notices from ANY
company regarding your domain registration, please:
You can report them here:
Advertising
Standards Canada (ASC)
Address: 175 Bloor Street East, Suite 1801,
Toronto, ON M4W 3R8
Telephone: +1 416 961 6311
Fax: (1 416) 961 7904
E-mail:
linda.nagel@adstandards.com
Website: http://www.adstandards.com
Main Contact: Ms. Linda J. NAGEL
Other Languages Spoken: English
And for their violation of the CAN-SPAM act:
To file a
complaint or to get
free information on consumer issues, visit
www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY:
1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and
other fraud-related complaints into
Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil
and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
The FTC advises consumers to protect themselves by:
- Avoiding any domain name pre-registration service that guarantees
particular top level domain names or preferential treatment in the
assignment of new top level domain names.
- Avoiding doing business with people who send unsolicited faxes -
regardless of the offer. Unsolicited faxes are illegal.
- Staying on top of the news about top level domain names at the ICANN
website, www.icann.org.
We can add to that:
- Stick to well known, larger domain registrars (like Godaddy.com,
1and!.com, etc.). They have the best rates (usually) anyway.
- Once you have registered your domain name, return to the same registrar
for renewals and any changes.
- If you want to change domain registrars, do so through the process
established, by starting at your current registrar.
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