I got an email today which looks like one of those ICANN required verification emails that registrars have to send out to domain holders.
ICANN requires registrars to send a notice to verify whois information and “when a registrant does not respond for over 15 calendar days to a registrar’s inquiries regarding the accuracy of contact details or Whois data associated with the registration, the action can be to terminate or suspend the non-responsive registrant’s domain name, or to place a lock on the domain name registration until the registrar is able to validate information provided by the registrant.”
However, this email is coming from DomainVerification.net with the email address of support@domainverification.net, not the domain registrar the domain is registered with.
The domain name DomainVerification.net was just registered on December 31, 2015.
The notice actually refers to the ICANN verification rule, both on top of the notice, as you can see from the screenshot and also below the notice where it says:
“Please update within 24-48 hours to avoid domain name suspension. ICANN, the internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, requires that all domain registrars maintain correct and current WHOIS contact data for domain owners.”
In this case however the notice is NOT coming from the registrar but a different company.
Of course your domain registrar does not charge you anything to verify your information as required by ICANN.
If you did pay money to verify your domain with DomainVerification.net but did not respond to a email from your domain registrar, I think your domain would wind up being suspended anyway.
The email asks you to click on a link to say the whois info is Accurate or not accurate and no matter which you click on you go to the following site which is charging between $93.95 and $49.95 a year ($9.95 for a 501 c-3)
The DomainVerification.net site has in the about us section only a contact form, no address, phone number or email and nothing else about the site or the company behind it.
What a scam
Also here’s another link found in the email:
If your domain name is accurate please copy and paste this url into your
web browser:
http://thepalmercorporation.com/automation/link.php?M=88487&
thepalmercorporation.com
Updated Date: 05-jan-2016
Creation Date: 11-oct-2013
Expiration Date: 11-oct-2016
Weird, it is also a nice looking site..
Domain Name: DOMAINVERIFICATION.NET
Registry Domain ID: 1990961214_DOMAIN_NET-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.godaddy.com
Registrar URL: http://www.godaddy.com
Update Date: 2015-12-31T21:02:31Z
Creation Date: 2015-12-31T21:02:31Z
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2016-12-31T21:02:31Z
Registrar: GoDaddy.com, LLC
Registrar IANA ID: 146
Registrar Abuse Contact Email: abuse@godaddy.com
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.4806242505
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited http://www.icann.org/epp#clientTransferProhibited
Domain Status: clientUpdateProhibited http://www.icann.org/epp#clientUpdateProhibited
Domain Status: clientRenewProhibited http://www.icann.org/epp#clientRenewProhibited
Domain Status: clientDeleteProhibited http://www.icann.org/epp#clientDeleteProhibited
Registry Registrant ID:
Registrant Name: Timmothy Ballard
Registrant Organization: Domain Verification Corporation
Registrant Street: PO BOX 26512
Registrant City: Tempe
Registrant State/Province: Arizona
Registrant Postal Code: 85282
Registrant Country: US
Registrant Phone: +1.5302640097
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email: support@domainverification.net
I got a few emails from them as well. I always look at the message source when I’m getting emails like that so I instantly knew it was a scam.
I’ve deleted 10 in the last three days,always look at the sender,got a new one today from escrow.com in the header but of course some long dot net address,deleted it,keep an eye open and always check the senders address
It’s easy to fake/clone/imitate the sender email. Anyone can send an email from support@paypal.com with a few knowledge. The thing you can’t fake is the link in the email. Of course you can use an hyperlink to hide the link like Paypal.com..
You must always check the sender email address, ip of sender and verify the source of links before you delete or trust an email.
The reason why I know this is because I used to create that kind of “scams” to teach my family and friends about how easy it is to get caught by scammers. Most of them sent their information. 🙁
With its extra whois verification requirements, ICANN opened the door for these new scammers. Therefore ICANN ought to implement measures for cracking down on resultant abuse.
Right now, ICANN has more money than it knows what to do with. Fixing the problems it engendered might be a good start.
ICANN should remove this requirements just as they should remove traveling around the world.
It is a crime. So Godaddy has to freeze the account holder and the domain DomainVerification.net. Also ICANN should do something to this crime. But they have to make sure it is not using others domains for scam. Last year I forward an email to my other domain in Godaddy, and got a lot of emails sent to my original email. Someone using my domain for his emails. I haven’t create that email. I contacted godaddy and they said I have to do something in dns of all my domains so they won’t be used for creating email by other parties. I imagine how Adam Dickers, Page Howie handle their thousands of domains not to be used for this kind of scam,
Domainers must watch out of domains Spoofing. Last year I found my domains used by some persons to make their emails, that is called domains spoofing. To prevent your domains to be used for crime by other parties or damaged because email scaams you have to set spf format at dns zone for every domains, especially for your beloved ones
I don’r think many people know what spf format is, or DNS zone for that matter
Thank you!!!! I just got this exact email a few days after registering a new domain name through Google. It didn’t pass the smell test so I looked up Domain Registration Corporation and thankful your site was among the first ten listed on my search.
Scammer and online schemers are insidious. Two days after adding a new email address for my new domain, I got one of those Nigerian scam emails. Two days!
Before sending YOU my email in order to post a comment, I looked YOU up and found your profile on DN Journal. And, then to be sure they were legit, I looked them up! Can you tell I’ve learned to be very cautious?
You should seriously read the fine print at the bottom of the website: Domain Verification is a premium service to protect and accredidate the validity of Personal and Business Domain Names.
“””””””You are under no obligation to purchase or modify anything on your website. “””””””
© Copyright Domain Verification Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
No crime is committed here, You should read the entire pitch page before you label things as a scam… Nobody was tricked. Your names and emails are in a public database. CAN-SPAM Compliant Email 100% Also states this in the email as well…
@Domain Verification,
You might find suckers via email, but you won’t fool anybody here.
It’s as if the panhandling homeless pregnant teenager had fine print on her cardboard sign reading:
“PLEASE HELP!
No warranty is made that this lump is an unborn infant rather than a pillow.”
Point is not a scam… Didn’t need your approval Joesph Peterson. Domain Verification is much bigger than validating WHOIS information. Its also about protecting brand reputation. If you ever bought a domain from someone on the phone do they not advise you to purchase the .net .org or .biz etc etc to protect your reputation. Well when you didn’t and someone registered that domain who is there to help prove who the real domain is? That would be us… 🙂 Domain Verification is a very valuable source much like BBB, Symantec’s Verification Services, etc…
Oh sorry “Technicalities” @JoesphPeterson
What do you mean who is the real domain there are millions of domain names where someone owns the.com and they don’t on the net or.biz each name is unique and no they don’t protect your reputation if a person tell you that on the phone to register the.net and the.biz they’re taking you for a sucker not protecting your reputation they’re just trying to make more money.
I agree, not a crime, but it is a scam because nobody needs it. It preys on they gullible who think they would be safer to pay for this useless service…I doubt these people will ever make their way to your website, let alone check you out to find out who you are as I did. YOU on the other hand DO provide a useful service, for no fee.
Gotta go now before the bank closes. I need to pick up a $10,000 cashier’s check to send to Nigeria to claim my $18 million.
@Domain Verification,
100% of readers at TheDomains.com know this is a scam. But the more you talk, the more keywords you sprinkle here for search engines to find. That helps people in doubt find this page, where they’ll quickly learn to avoid domain verification scams like yours.
Your email says:
“ICANN requires domain name verification. Please ensure your domain is accurate to avoid temporary suspension.”
and
“Please update within 24-48 hours to avoid domain name suspension.”
Such statements encourage unsuspecting recipients to think that they’re looking at an official email from their registrar or that you can somehow help them fix a problem with ICANN-mandated whois accuracy. But you can do no such thing.
Instead you’re selling some sort of garbage directory-submission service they don’t need. And you’re doing it under false pretenses using scare tactics.
Please, deny it’s a scam.
Well “Domain Shame” lets say you register coca-cola.com but “joseph peterson scam artist” registers coca-cola.net. He claims to be coca-cola but he’s not. We provide verification and badge verifications to prove who the accurate domain name is to prevent fraud from occurring. Very valuable resource from internet thieves. We have never claimed to be ICANN or associated with them in any way, however We do maintain a public whoisdatabase of information and would like to maintain an accurate database so we simply advise people to make sure the information is correct. Anybody at any time can file a complaint for inaccurate information: https://forms.icann.org/en/resources/compliance/complaints/whois/inaccuracy-form which could result in a suspension.
Its not a scam. Its a very valuable resource.
This service isn’t particularly for the members of “TheDomains” or professional web developers. @JosephPeterson
@DomainVerification : Sorry, I said it is crime above because it seem you are charging fee for ICANN verification. But as I see your website, it is more like domain certification services. Something like domain certificate in Godaddy. Godaddy’s is like this : Gain your visitors’ trust by proving that your site is legitimate. A Certified Domain Validation Seal shows visitors that your site is trustworthy by authenticating your domain and placing a dynamic seal on your home page. Your visitors want to know they can trust you. Give them the proof they need.
Your service is good and not a crime, but your marketing letter is misleading anyway. I just suggest you to improve your marketing way, so people not think they got email about verification letter (which always sent by registrars due to ICANN rule every years or every new registrations). Because your marketing way now may make people think they have to pay for regular domain verification by ICANN and misleading that it is obligated by ICANN to pay you if don’t want their domain suspended by ICANN.
Might be you have to avoid ““Please update within 24-48 hours to avoid domain name suspension. ICANN, the internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, requires that all domain registrars maintain correct and current WHOIS contact data for domain owners.” in your emails so we don’t thing you represent ICANN to warning a problem in our whois. Thank you.
Domain Verification
You mention the ICANN requirement that emails be validate or risk them not-resolving and there have been plenty of stories of websites going off line for their failure to comply at the registrar level, not once but twice.
Why mention it?
We know why and that’s the problem.
You can’t clean up a misleading pitch which raises ICANN’s requirements twice by putting a blanket statement at the end
“”
Domain Verification is a premium service to protect and accredidate (typo by the way) the validity of Personal and Business Domain Names.
“””””””You are under no obligation to purchase or modify anything on your website. “””””””
There is also nothing in the ICANN rules that requires you to modify anything on your website just respond to the email from the registrar.
Take out the references to ICANN