Better Business Bureau Serving Southwest Idaho & Eastern Oregon Blog

Your BBB has had several calls today about local businesses receiving phony domain name invoices.

Businesses report having received official-looking renewal notices, supposedly from their domain registrars. The notices are actually solicitations for business that are disguised as invoices. The letters inform the business recipients that their domain name registration is about to expire and at risk losing their Internet domain name if they do not send in immediate payment. These mailings are worded to appear to be renewal invoices, without violating U.S. Postal Service regulations concerning solicitations.

A second type of scam advises businesses that another company is trying to register “an alternative version of your domain name.” This offer gives you the chance to register the domain name at a high price in order to “prevent the other person from taking your domain name” always with a sense of urgency.  

Tips from your BBB:

• Educate bookkeepers, accounting staff, and web site managers to beware of “domain registration” solicitations designed as invoices;
• Only accept domain renewal notices from the company with whom you have registered your domain name;
• To check when you need to renew your domain name, contact your existing domain registrar;
• Check your records to confirm claims of previous business dealings with the company or seller; and
• Establish effective internal controls for the payment of invoices.