Today I received an e-mail that first looked like a request to confirm domain registration ownership details (“Please ensure that your contact information is correct or make the necessary changes above”), but on closer inspection turned out to be a scam:
Attention: Important Notice , DOMAIN SERVICE NOTICE
Domain Name: JOEWEIN.NETComplete and return by fax to:
1-716-650-4793ATT: JOE WEIN
ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACT
JOEWEIN.DE LLC
[my email address here]
[my postal address here]
WWW.JOEWEIN.NET
Please ensure that your contact information is correct or make the necessary changes aboveRequested Reply
SEPTEMBER 15,2014PART I: REVIEW SOLICITATION
Attn: JOE WEIN
As a courtesy to domain name holders, we are sending you this notification for your business Domain name search engine registration. This letter is to inform you that it’s time to send in your registration and save.Failure to complete your Domain name search engine registration by the expiration date may result in cancellation of this offer making it difficult for your customers to locate you on the web.
Privatization allows the consumer a choice when registering. Search engine subscription includes domain name search engine submission. You are under no obligation to pay the amounts stated below unless you accept this offer. Do not discard, this notice is not an invoice it is a courtesy reminder to register your domain name search engine listing so your customers can locate you on the web.
This Notice for: WWW.JOEWEIN.NET will expire on SEPTEMBER 15,2014 Act today!
Select Term:
[ ] 1 year 09/15/2014 – 09/15/2015 $75.00
[ ] 2 year 09/15/2014 – 09/15/2016 $119.00
[ ] 5 year 09/15/2014 – 09/15/2019 $199.00
[ ] 10 year -Most Recommended- 09/15/2014 – 09/15/2024 $295.00
[ ] Lifetime (NEW!) Limited time offer – Best value! Lifetime $499.00Today’s Date: _____________________ Signature: _____________________
Payment by Credit Card
Select the term above, then return by fax: 1-716-650-4793JOEWEIN.NET
——————————————————————————————-
By accepting this offer, you agree not to hold DS liable for any part. Note that THIS IS NOT A BILL. This is a solicitation. You are under no obligation to pay the amounts stated unless you accept this offer. The information in this letter contains confidential and/or legally privileged information from the notification processing department of the DS 3501 Jack Northrop Ave. Suite #F9238 Hawthorne, CA 90250 USA, This information is intended only for the use of the individual(s) named above. There is no pre-existing relationship between DS and the domain mentioned above. This notice is not in any part associated with a continuation of services for domain registration. Search engine submission is an optional service that you can use as a part of your website optimization and alone may not increase the traffic to your site. If you do not wish to receive further updates from DS reply with Remove to unsubscribe. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that disclosure, copying, distribution or the taking of any action in reliance on the contents for this letter is strictly prohibited.
The disclaimer in the final paragraph reveals that this solicitation has nothing to do with my existing domain registration. It’s an offer for an obscenely overpriced “search engine registration” service, which is basically useless. If there is as much as a single existing link to your website from any other website known to Google or other significant search engines, then you don’t need this. Even if you only just created your website, a link from any other site already known to search engines will do — no need to fork out $295 for that. Once search engines find your site from any other site they’ll spider it and index it.
If you receive any such offer, delete it. It’s a rip-off and you don’t need it.
I received a similar notice for this today, same M.O., for our Boy Scout web site. Total BS.
For those who are interested; These folks who think they can hide behind a fax line, are apparently already being watched. I spoke with a FBI field office in NYC (part of my job) who disclosed they know exactly who these folks are, and have been watching these particular folks a while now. They wouldn’t disclose much more other than they are aware and apparently already on it. When asked why they don’t just shut these guys down, he implied, the more they get on them, the longer these guys get locked up. Thought I would pass this information on.
I got one too.
I recently also received this email for one of the domains i manage on one of the popular the gTLD.
Mail headers trace it back to a server which has a PTR registered to a peruan hosting company. Best bet is to contact them and notify them of this malpractice taking place on their server.
Or be childish and retaliate by annoying them now that you have a fax number. Sending fax messages can be free (or very cheap using VoIP)
I got one too.
I got precisely the same.
I got one as well, but will not answer,
Got the same email today, they must think I am stupid. but then if 10 out of 1000 react to it they might have quite a catch.
William, I wonder if the FBI can do something about it, if you read the email they only ask money for a domain name search engine registration.
and if you do not react in 2 days it may result in cancellation of this offer.
So if they have some lame search engine online and put your site up there and you are willing pay them for it it seems all legal. They offer services for your pay. worthless services though and you lost your money.
In my country this happens a lot by snail mail, nasy folk sending bills that they put your company into a yellow pages kind of thing online, if you are not carefull and sort out your bills you might pay them before you find out you are scammed.
I got several such mails and ignored but what’s the business of the mail could not understand…but an action should be taken against the spammers.
received today. confirmed that this is a scam
I received this same email today. I almost fell for it because they have all of my contact information (and I have domain privacy turned on). Anyone else find they had information they shouldn’t have? I would like to know.
If not, I’m going to have a talk with my domain registrar about this. Although my domain doesn’t expire until 2018, I had to double check because I have quite a few.
.. and Great work from the FBI — Duh ,, let’s see how many more people he can scam while we “watch him”… and how’s abouts we let that sniper kill a few more people before we nab’em ,,, that way he can get 20 life sentences instead of one. That’ll learn’em.. gfaw gfaw —duh .. look at the pretty shiney badges we gots!! *bang bang* owe my eye … J Edgar!!
I guess until they actually do their job, I will have to keep the number on auto-dial and keep sending auto-generated faxes with random fake info. that’ll keep’em bizzy …
Love,
Dizzy
Thanks for posting this! I received the mail as well. But could not find a fax to sent the signed order back so tried to contact the organisation to check if I could sent the order by mail. And than your messages saved me from paying the $119!
I got one too. How did they get my address?
They now use domainnotices2233.com / 1-716-242-0420
I got precisely the same. Thanks for posting this!
It would seem they also use “domainnoties601.com” which may be domainnotices601.com
Bobby Jo, the first domain name doesn’t exist, but the second one does. Here is how it’s registered:
Domain Name: DOMAINNOTICES601.COM
Registry Domain ID: 1943592971_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.enom.com
Registrar URL: www.enom.com
Updated Date: 2015-06-30T16:37:02.00Z
Creation Date: 2015-06-30T23:37:00.00Z
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2016-06-30T23:37:00.00Z
Registrar: ENOM, INC.
Registrar IANA ID: 48
Reseller: NAMECHEAP.COM
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited https://www.icann.org/epp#clientTransferProhibited
Registry Registrant ID:
Registrant Name: WHOISGUARD PROTECTED
Registrant Organization: WHOISGUARD, INC.
Registrant Street: P.O. BOX 0823-03411
Registrant City: PANAMA
Registrant State/Province: PANAMA
Registrant Postal Code: 00000
Registrant Country: PA
Registrant Phone: +507.8365503
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax: +51.17057182
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email: B5687143CA854B4A96473C75D4D025AC.PROTECT@WHOISGUARD.COM
Registry Admin ID:
Admin Name: WHOISGUARD PROTECTED
Admin Organization: WHOISGUARD, INC.
Admin Street: P.O. BOX 0823-03411
Admin City: PANAMA
Admin State/Province: PANAMA
Admin Postal Code: 00000
Admin Country: PA
Admin Phone: +507.8365503
Admin Phone Ext:
Admin Fax: +51.17057182
Admin Fax Ext:
Admin Email: B5687143CA854B4A96473C75D4D025AC.PROTECT@WHOISGUARD.COM
Registry Tech ID:
Tech Name: WHOISGUARD PROTECTED
Tech Organization: WHOISGUARD, INC.
Tech Street: P.O. BOX 0823-03411
Tech City: PANAMA
Tech State/Province: PANAMA
Tech Postal Code: 00000
Tech Country: PA
Tech Phone: +507.8365503
Tech Phone Ext:
Tech Fax: +51.17057182
Tech Fax Ext:
Tech Email: B5687143CA854B4A96473C75D4D025AC.PROTECT@WHOISGUARD.COM
Name Server: NS1.VELCOM.COM
Name Server: NS2.VELCOM.COM
As you can see, the registrant is hidden behind a WHOIS proxy.
The following “domainnotices” .com domains are currently suspended for spam and abuse:
domainnotices1234.comdomainnotices3647.com
domainnotices4493.com
domainnotices5500.com
domainnotices5504.com
domainnotices5643.com
domainnotices5679.com
domainnotices7678.com
domainnotices7788.com
domainnotices7935.com
domainnotices7948.com
domainnotices8320.com
domainnotices8967.com
domainnotices9546.com
And here are some with similar naming patterns, on various name servers:
domainnotices600.com NS ns1.domainnotices600.comdomainnotices601.com NS ns1.velcom.com
domainnotices8200.com NS ns1.monikerdns.net
domainnotices8201.com NS ns1.monikerdns.net
domainnotices8502.com NS ns1.domainnotices8502.com
domainnotices8585.com NS dns1.name-services.com
domainnotices8601.com NS ns1.domainnotices8601.com
domainnotices8659.com NS dns1.name-services.com
Thank you, I received the same notice
I also received this same email in july 2015 re final notice domain listing. I ignored it, because it only listed an fax number. However now sept 2015 my e-mail stopped working. I am not receiving any emails any longer from my own domain name. I started researching and came here. Time to figure out where in 2000 I purchased my name from when I was living in California….thanks for your blog