Domain Name Scams, Bloggers Beware

   Blog Tips - All electronic scams are more active in times of economic downturns, in hopes of catching desperate people in need of money.  Domain name scams are no different and also are more active these days. You've worked hard to grow your blog, make sure to protect your domain name/s.  Sometimes, bloggers get caught up in monetizing a blog, simple precautions are ignored.  Take a look at an email I received yesterday -

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Hi,

my name is Brandon Birdwell and I would be interested in buying your domain ____.COM from you. Are you interested in selling it? If yes, how much would you want for it? What payment method would you prefer?

And just in case you are wondering how I got your email, anyone can get that info at whois.net

Regards,

Brandon Birdwell

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At first glance, it seemed legitimate, but since I'm always cautious, I checked the name and found nothing unusual (a TN dentist, indie rock band musician).  When I Googled the name again with 'domain' I found Lisa's Blog, a blogger who received the same email .  As she did, I also felt it odd that the domain name is all in caps, as if the email was created by a bot that grabbed domain names in capital letters from WHOIS records. It did seem odd that the letter made a point to explain how he got my contact info and that he asked about payment method.  Curious,I Googled "I would be interested in buying your domain" and found others with similar emails, word for word, with different names.  Funny thing is, the domain he inquired about from me is "parked" at Sedo, who provides full info on my domain's web page on how to contact them to buy.   It seems this person is looking for people wanting to sell via Paypal and would likely reverse payment after they have the domain name.

So bloggers, be careful with your domain names!  Be cautious before giving out info or responding. 

Comments

[RA]

Hello,
I received almost the same message today.
I guess it is a cheater. I never would write in such way. It looks not serious!

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Sender: brandon.birdwell9@gmail.com

Hi,

my name is Brandon Birdwell and I would be interested in buying your domain .....COM from you. Are you interested in selling it? If yes, how much would you want for it? What payment method would you prefer?

And just in case you are wondering how I got your email, anyone can get that info at whois.net

Regards,

Brandon Birdwell

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Be careful guys and open your eyes !

Regards RA

[joe delaney]

I as well received a Brandon Birdwell offer to buy my domain, it was emailed to Joe@---------.com, but in actuality, my emial address is Joe.D@-------------.Com. So he must have some way of infiltrating into the email adresses. Perhaps this should be forwarded to ICANN or a government agency.

Joe Delaney

[Jan Chilton]

Hi there,
We got one of these last night at midnight, but on a domain that is just parked with Godaddy. It's not listed anywhere or otherwise being advertised. Very strange that they would even come across it.

I'm going to blog it too, and shoot a link back to you. Maybe our posts will start to show for the Brandon Birdwell name.

Jan