Is the Domain Notice in the Mail a Scam?
We get calls about these all the time. A client receives something in the mail that looks like a bill for their domain registration. It has their domain name on it, an amount due, a payment deadline. It looks official, but is it? They ask us, is it a scam, and sometimes it is. Sometimes it is just an advertisement. Sometimes it is junk.
Most of the time, it is not a bill for something they want.
Now before you lawyer up, keep in mind that if we have not seen your “bill”, we can’t verify anything, but stay with us, we can walk you through how we assess these paper surprise invoices and mystery expenses.
Here’s the Thing About Domains and Hosting
You almost never get paper bills for this stuff. When you set up hosting or register a domain, you put a credit card on file. At most you get an email saying it renewed automatically, or occasionally asking you to update your payment method. That’s it. It doesn’t track for a digital business who offers online services to send you… paper. That would be as silly as them sending you a fax. It’s just silly, and very very unlikely.
So when a paper notice shows up asking for $$$ for your domain, your hosting, or your website listing, that should feel strange. Because it is strange.
A Real Example
A client recently sent us one of these letters. It’s from a company called “Domain Listings” and it looks very much like an invoice to them. There’s a domain name, a service period, a total amount, a payment slip at the bottom.
But if you read the print, buried in a paragraph, it says: “We are not a domain registrar, and we do not register or renew domain names.” A little further down: “THIS IS NOT A BILL.”
They put that in there because legally they most likely have to. But they designed the whole thing a certain way, and our clients call us and say they think it looks like a bill. Is it a bill? Maybe. Is it a bill for a service you want or need? Probably not, but you can decide that for yourself once you know what it is for and what it is not for.
What are they actually selling? Well in the one we received from our client to review for them, it appeared to be listing in some internet directory for $288 a year. Did he want that? Well, after understanding what it was, no he didn’t. And he was frustrated with having to take the time to figure that out. He said, “I hate theses stupid scams!” and that is how a lot of people feel.
So why do these get sent out if you don’t owe anything? Well, we can only speculate of course, but these companies would not keep mailing these out if people weren’t paying them. That’s the frustrating part. Are these people paying because they think they owe the money? Are they paying because they wanted an unsolicited service? Possibly. Is it a scam? Well, that is complicated. They do seem to be offering a service. If someone wants that service and they receive it after paying well, who are we to judge, but if you pay for something because you don’t understand it and you get something you don’t want, well that is another thing.
How to Protect Yourself
If you get a paper notice about your domain or hosting, don’t panic and read it carefully. If you get an email, don’t click the link in the message, go to the source and keep excellent records.
Instead:
Keep a record of where your domain is registered and where your hosting lives. When something comes in, check your records. Go directly to the website by typing the address yourself. Log in and make sure everything looks right.
If you’re not sure, give us a call. We’re happy to look at whatever you received and tell you if we think it’s legitimate or not. There’s no charge for that. We’d rather spend five minutes on the phone than watch you lose $288 to something you didn’t need or want.
The Short Version
Paper bills for domains are almost always worth looking at with a skeptical eye. Keep records of your actual services. Go directly to your registrar or host to verify anything. And when in doubt, ask someone you trust.
Save yourself the headache.
