If you have received something in the mail that looks like an invoice for your domain, you need to be aware! These could be Domain Registration Scams!
If you receive any solicitation by phone, email or mail and it’s about your website, internet marketing or your domain name and you’re not 100% sure that it is legitimate, contact Vector Web Designs before you respond so that we can look at it to make sure you’re not being scammed. Even if you are not a client.
To the unsuspecting recipient, the invoice could look totally legitimate. It will probably have an official looking logo. It will likely have the company’s return address. They will also show your ‘account number’ (I mean, that HAS to be real, right?).
- Did you sign up with this company?
- Is there a phone number where you can call the company?
- Do they show the exact expiration date for your Domain Name?
If you answer No to any one of these questions, it is most likely a scam.
If you pay one of these invoices it means you went through several warning signs and fell for their scam. The company is not doing anything illegal. Unethical, yes but technically not illegal. Your best defense is to use your head and read the fine print. When in doubt contact Vector Web Designs, we will be happy to assist.
In this example the service dates are 3 months earlier than when the domain name will expire. If you read the fine print it says, “We are not a Domain Registrar and we do not register or renew domain names”. But this is what they make you think you are paying for.
As one of my clients, your Domain Registration is included in your Monthly Hosting Fees.
