So, a client just forwarded me an email and asked what they should do.
It was an email offering For Sale the .com version of their .com.au domain name.
Their question was . . . should I buy the .com domain name being offered in the email . . .
Or is this email a scam too?
Something about the email they sent had my “spidey senses” tingling!
After so many years of reviewing spam and scam emails, they are pretty easy to spot.
So I did some research.
(By the way, this is what you should do if you are unsure about an email.)
1. I looked at the sender email address and noted that it was a real email address, not a Yahoo or gmail address.
The email address was linked to a domain name. That was a positive.
2. So I took the domain name and put it in my web browser, and it was a real website.
That also was a positive. But as I looked closer, it was only a 2 page website.
For someone posing as a domain reseller, it was a pretty poor effort. So that was a negative.
3. Next I asked, does this person own the domain name that they are offering for sale.
Often companies will buy up domain names and speculate that they can resell them at a profit. This applies moreso to valuable domain names, and usually not domain names that are a company name which are usually protected by copyright or trademark.
So I did some searches and found that the domain name was in fact available for purchase.
The email sender did not own the domain name and was just hoping that someone would respond with a purchase order.
4. The question remains then . . . would a payment to an unknown website result in the delivery of the available domain name!
Or would the money just disappear. So . . .
was it a scam?
Impossible to say without giving it a go.
It could be 100% legitimate if you end up getting the domain name. If . . .
And, it is worth considering other versions of your domain name that you should possibly own.
What should you do now?
1. Evaluate very carefully and email you receive with an offer to pay money.
2. It is worth having a think about other versions of your domain name to own.
3. If you want new domains registered, we can do this for you.
4. If you are not sure or want some help, just contact us at Hotpink Websites now.
Quote
“To be old and wise, you must first be young and foolish.”
~ Anon
Remember – Check and double check emails before responding
Make sure that you don’t fall for the attractive offers put out in spam emails!
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