Please note that you can read more about domain email scams in Part 1 of this post here: <Beware Email Scams Targeting Domain Owners Part 1>.

3. Domain slamming/Unauthorized domain transfers

This is one of the popular and oldest scams. The offending domain registrar sends an official email which claims that your domain is up for renewal with them. If you follow the steps, however, you end up transferring your domain to them (the registrar sending you the email) which will also cost you more in higher renewal fees as well. In the worst case, your website and email service crash because your DNS services terminate with your old registrar.

To avoid this damaging scenario:

– If you have many domains, check where that domain is registered. Alert the registrar about this unauthorized domain transfer scam if you think it’s necessary.
– Check if your registrar lock is set. That way, no one can transfer your domains without authorization. For further protection, some domain extensions (.org, .biz, .info) have an additional 8-digit authorization code which the registrar should supply to you before the transfer. Otherwise, you cannot move the domain away from them. This is not 100% protection, but it helps.

To learn more about domain transferring and registration policies, go to <What you Should Know before Registering your Domain>.
Domain registrars differ. Find out how at <How to Choose the Right Domain Registrar for you?>.

4. Domain buy offers

Domain owners may occasionally receive offers from potential buyers of their domain. It may look like a promising deal but the aim is to trick you into a fake selling process where first you’ve got to pay appraisal fees and other additional service charges.

To avoid such costly scams:

– Don’t pay any upfront costs or provide information on your domain if you’ve got doubts about the email’s origins.
– Make sure you’re acquainted with your domain registrar’s transfer policies so when you receive such emails, you can tell the difference.

5. Trademark protection scam

Emails come from some domain registrar (often from China) claiming that another company wants to register domains containing your trademark but under other domain extensions. They say that if you are not familiar with this company, you should immediately register these domains yourself to protect your trademark.
The aim of this scam is to trick you into charging you for domain registration, usually for the maximum time period.
To avoid this misleading scenario:

– Make sure you don’t do anything and simply delete the email.
– If you’ve got many domains and are indeed concerned about trademark infringements, you can read more on brand protection, types of infringement and what you can do about them here <What you Need to Know about Protecting your Brand Online>.

All’s Well that Ends Well

Domain scams come in waves so it is important to be aware of the risks before they hit you. When in doubt, proceed with caution.
Domain name scams are a type of cybercrime. Read more on cybercrime prevention and investigation at <Let’s talk about cybercrime>.