Beware of deceptive domain renewal practices
If your department manages a website with its own domain, be aware of a common deceptive scheme currently targeting domain owners at Carleton. Specific domain registration companies are claiming that different domain names are about to expire and must be renewed immediately.
These may look legitimate, but they are often marketing solicitations disguised as renewal notices, with false information about the date of renewal. They frequently charge five times the average price of renewal, and may come via email or via surface mail. Paying the invoice will lead to your domain being transferred to the malevolent company. They then charge even more exploitative renewal rates.
The surface mail notices they send might look like this:
These companies often have several subsidiaries they use.
Always verify where your domain is actually registered. A legitimate renewal notice should come from your current domain registrar electronically, or from an approved service provider.
You can often find information about the domain by visiting a WhoIs reference site and searching for your domain.
Common warning signs include:
- Unexpected renewal notices from companies you’ve never worked with.
- Claims that immediate payment is required to avoid losing your domain.
- Invoices that look like bills but contain fine print describing them as solicitations.
- Offers to renew a domain years before its actual expiration date.
- Requests to transfer your domain registration to a different company.
- A quoted price that is multiple times the market rate for a renewal.
If you receive a suspicious domain renewal notice, forward it to your website administrator or contact the ITS Service Desk for verification.
Protect your website, your budget, and your peace of mind by staying alert to deceptive domain renewal practices.