Domain Name Company - new scam

[Jamie-AU]

Over the years, I've been receiving in the mail what look like invoices from Domain Register and Domain Name Group for variations of my existing domains.

Today, a new one has surfaced - "Domain Name Company" - see www.domainnamecompany.com.au

Very similar looking invoice to previous ones I had received from Domain Register and Domain Name Group. You can see a copy at https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/rhaltb98x1lh7of/domainnamecompany.jpg

While they advertise their address as Level 1, 1 Queens Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, I am told that's a virtual office. Their bank details (for payment) refer to a building society in Bundaberg, Queensland.

 

[FirstPageResults]

ABC's The Checkout featured these domain "invoices" recently including Domain Register:

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/thecheckout/clips/
F.U.Tube Series 3 Episode 9, about 7 mins in.

According to the show the words "This is not a bill. You are not required to pay any money. " must be the most prominent words on the document or they are breaking the law.

 

[Jamie-AU]

According to the show the words "This is not a bill. You are not required to pay any money. " must be the most prominent words on the document or they are breaking the law.

If that is true, then this "invoice" is illegal as the only wording to indicate that it's not a bill is the small print at the bottom which says:

"This is an invitation to register - if you are not the proprietor or do not wish to register, disregard this letter".

Fair enough if this "invoice" came with an honest and straight to the point cover letter that said something like "Dear sir/madam, we would like to bring to your attention that a variation of your existing domain name is available to register and we recommend you do so for brand protection, enclosed is an invoice if you would like us to make that happen for you". But there's no such cover letter, just a one page document that looks very much like a bill. Some non-savvy business owners may not be able to pick the difference, and maybe in a large organisation, such a bill slips through into the accounts to be paid queue.

 

[robert]

Very dodgy indeed.
If you do some WHOIS...
They also own AussieHQ.com.au
and
<drumroll>
They actually own uber.com.au

 

[Jamie-AU]

If you do some WHOIS...
They also own AussieHQ.com.au

Perhaps you mean that domainnamecompany.com.au has registered their own domain with AussieHQ? Perhaps they are a reseller of AussieHQ's domain registration services?

 

[robert]

I do mean that. And I doubt they are a reseller of AussieHQ. It's late and I was clicking fast - sorry I was just trying to do some homework for you
Interesting to note though that uber (taxis) can't get their hands on the uber.com.au domain name cause it is already taken. It looks like AussieHQ own that - or am I being crazy again?

 

[Bacon Farmer]

 

[Joel]

AussieHQ is a brand operated by Uber and has been for years now.

 

[Shane]

I received one of their letters today. $247 for a net.au. Bargain!

To their credit, it doesn't actually say invoice anywhere on the letter, and the largest heading states "Domain Name Available".

Any business owner who gets caught out by this really needs to start looking at their mail more closely!

 

[Jamie-AU]

Any business owner who gets caught out by this really needs to start looking at their mail more closely!

That's true, however these sorts of "scams" must be profitable and catch out a reasonable number of unsuspecting people, otherwise they wouldn't continue to spend vast sums of money on these sorts of mail outs and costs in setting up such a business.

 

[Shane]

That's true, however these sorts of "scams" must be profitable and catch out a reasonable number of unsuspecting people, otherwise they wouldn't continue to spend vast sums of money on these sorts of mail outs and costs in setting up such a business.

I agree, but that doesn't change the fact that the people being scammed need to do a far better job of reading their mail before they cough up their credit card details.

 

[Data Glasses]

I agree, but that doesn't change the fact that the people being scammed need to do a far better job of reading their mail before they cough up their credit card details.

Some mothers do have em .......it's a law of averages thing

 

[sasha]

these sorts of "scams".

people being scammed

are you people for real?

whilst i don't approve of their methods, it is NOT a scam, it's just an offer for what people "in the know/industry" amazingly consider to be an overpriced domain name

How can you all consider $247 to be expensive whilst at the same time expect to sell your self titled "premium" domains that you have acquired for via godaddy or the drops for many hundreds if not thousands of dollars more than their price of $247

based on the same convoluted logic, anyone here that tries to sell one of their self titled "premium" domains for more than the $20 godaddy price is a SCAMMER

 

[Jamie-AU]

based on the same convoluted logic, anyone here that tries to sell one of their self titled "premium" domains for more than the $20 godaddy price is a SCAMMER

One fact that we must not lose sight of is that the methods employed by Domain Name Company are primarily aimed at tricking people into paying what looks like an invoice. It's a false billing scam, despite the ambiguous wording on their letter.

If Domain Name Company were genuinely offering brand protection by suggesting you register a similar domain, there would be a cover letter clearly explaining that. Given that the sole contents of their mail out is a single sided document with no explanation, formatted identically to a bill with a payment slip, then it is absolutely clear what their intentions are, and those intentions are ethically wrong.

 

[Shane]

are you people for real?

whilst i don't approve of their methods, it is NOT a scam, it's just an offer for what people "in the know/industry" amazingly consider to be an overpriced domain name

Of course it's scam! A scam doesn't have to be illegal. The letter is quite clearly designed to trick the recipient into believing that it's an invoice.

How can you all consider $247 to be expensive whilst at the same time expect to sell your self titled "premium" domains that you have acquired for via godaddy or the drops for many hundreds if not thousands of dollars more than their price of $247

based on the same convoluted logic, anyone here that tries to sell one of their self titled "premium" domains for more than the $20 godaddy price is a SCAMMER

Your comparison is absurd, unless the people you are referring to are sending letters disguised as invoices... Oh and they're trying to sell domains that they don't even own. Please...

 

[Horshack]

are you people for real?

whilst i don't approve of their methods, it is NOT a scam, it's just an offer for what people "in the know/industry" amazingly consider to be an overpriced domain name

It's a SCAM!

 

[sasha]

It's a SCAM!

how much was your most recent so called "premium" domain name sales?

 

[Horshack]

how much was your most recent so called "premium" domain name sales?

What premium name did I sell and what's that got to do with this scam?

 

[sasha]

What premium name did I sell and what's that got to do with this scam?

i dont know you personally, but if that's a scam and you have sold any of your so called "premium" domains for more than their advertised price of $237, then based on your own logic, it would also make you also a scammer, would it not?

 

[Horshack]

I'm sorry but I disagree. We obviously have a different view on what is deceptive and what is considered proper business ethics.