Every year I get calls and emails from my customer about a “bill” they received that apparently requires payment to keep their domain. The letters are intentionally formatted to look like an invoice complete with a spot to fill in your credit card number. Some how these letters are not illegal. They are the 21st century equivalent of phone company “slammers” from the 80s. Remember those? Make no mistake, this is a scam that should be illegal.
Suffice to say, the company, “Internet Domain Names Services Inc” dba “Domain Registry” dba iDNS, is “not BBB accredited”[1]. Their corporate office address is a The UPS Store in Jersey City. They continue to operate on the thinnest legal footing. At the top of the letter in big bold text it reads, “Domain Name Expiration Notice”. How can this be mistaken for anything other than a demand for payment from a vendor? The general public have no idea about the intricacies of domain registrars. Many domains are purchased by companies or organizations where there is a disconnect between the technical person and the person who pays the bill.
The first paragraph states that your “domain name registration…is due to expire”. Only in the second sentence do you see “When you switch today to Domain Registry…” along with a promise of “our best savings”. By the third paragraph there is bold text that reads “This notice is not a bill”.
If you get one of these letters, just throw it away. If you are concerned about your domain expiring, that an easy thing to check. Then you can work with a legitimate company.
If you have already responded to this “offer”, what do you do? The company cannot do anything until you login to your current domain company and release the domain. First, don’t do that. Second, contact Domain Registry and cancel your “order”. Reports are they use intimidation and outright insults when contacted. Third, contact your credit card company and dispute the charge. You should be able to get a refund if you have not released the domain because they have not actually provided you any service.
If you have already released your domain to them, don’t worry. The system is designed to allow you to transfer your domain to a legitimate and more affordable registrar. This is all extremely inconvenient if your web site and email are broken because of this process but there is hope.
