There are currently a number of domain name scams that appear to be from very legitimate sources.  This article makes note of some that our clients have received, and gives advice on what to do when you receive an email you are unsure of.

The Trademark Domain Name Scam

This email is currently circulating, in this email scam an entity that usually says it's located in Asia says that someone has applied to register a number of domain names that include your "trademark" this trademark is acquired from your domain names registrant details. It's an effective scam as we have had a number inquiries regarding its legitimacy. (see example below)

The aim of this email scam is to get targeted victims to register domain names with them at ridiculously expensive price. These scammers randomly search for a domain name's owner contact via WHOIS query. If that particular domain's WHOIS is protected, then they will try their luck at the domain's website hoping to find a contact form or email address. Once they get the victim's contact, they will send the victim an email message introducing themselves as a reputable domain name company (most of them are from China or Hong Kong). They will claim that some company has submitted a request to register few domain names bearing the keyword of the victim's domain name. In order to protect the victim's trademark, they will offer the victim a chance to "win" back the requested domain names within the stipulated time frame before they approve the registration from the said company. To make the message looks genuine, it often ended with the person's name, designation, company name, contact numbers, website address and email address in their signature.

If you receive a communication about your domain name, that you are unsure of (e.g. suggesting it's time to renew):

• Verify the email is from a known source - your web developer or the domain registrar who registered the domain
• Check for basic grammatical or spelling errors e.g. "If your company don’t respond within the time limit" - these are a clear sign the email is not from a legitimate source
• Do not open any attachments or links within the email.
• Forward the email to your web developer or domain name registrant company and ask them if the email is valid.
  • If you are a Klixo customer contact Klixo Support

If you do receive this email and you do want to register the noted domain names in order to protect your trademark do not respond to this email, contact your current domain name registrant company or webdeveloper and ask them to register the domain or domains for you. In most cases it is not necessary for New Zealand companies to register domains with extensions  for other countries (e.g.  .com.cn - China) unless they are intending on trading or doing business with the country.  

:: Example Email

(If you are not in charge of this , please transfer this urgent email to your CEO. Thanks.) 

Dear CEO,

We are a leading internet solutions organization in Asia, and we have something urgent to confirm with you. 
Yesterday we received a formal application from a company called " Sature Investment Co., Ltd". They were trying 
to apply for "example" as Brand Name and following Domain Names through our organization:

 example.asia
 example.cn
 example.com.cn
 example.com.hk
 example.com.tw
 example.hk
 example.in
 example.net.cn
 exampleorg.cn
 example.tw

After our initial examination, we found that the Brand Name and Domain Names above are similar to yours. 
These days we have been dealing with it. Now we hope to get your affirmation. If your company did not 
authorize the aforesaid company to register these, please contact us as soon as possible.

In addition, we hereby declare that time limit for this issue is 7 workdays. If your company don’t respond 
within the time limit, we will unconditionally approve the application submitted by Sature Investment Co., Ltd.

Best Regards,

Persons name
Position 

If you have any further questions about domain name registration, or you would like to speak to someone regarding protecting your trademark or business name online please contact us, we'll be happy to answer your questions