Comments on: Domain Name Scam http://blog.mcclinticdesign.com/web_development/domain-name-scam/ The blog of McClintic Design Inc. Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:24:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: David Harper http://blog.mcclinticdesign.com/web_development/domain-name-scam/comment-page-1/#comment-12 David Harper Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:00:41 +0000 http://blog.mcclinticdesign.com/?p=13#comment-12 I had a similar experience recently with Mr Palm. He tried to sell me a dot-com domain for over $650. I put together a web page with advice for anyone who gets an email from the guy. I had a similar experience recently with Mr Palm. He tried to sell me a dot-com domain for over $650. I put together a web page with advice for anyone who gets an email from the guy.

]]> By: Another Domain Owner http://blog.mcclinticdesign.com/web_development/domain-name-scam/comment-page-1/#comment-11 Another Domain Owner Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:05:46 +0000 http://blog.mcclinticdesign.com/?p=13#comment-11 Hello from Cambridge, England. I just started receiving emails from Ken Palm relating to the dot-com version of a domain name for which I own the dot-org and dot-net domains. It is, as you suspected, a scam. It's called "domain tasting". Here's how it works. Ken Palm has software which scours the Internet looking for dot-com domains that are about to expire. As soon as they become available, his software registers them and starts to send emails to the owners of the corresponding dot-org and/or dot-net domains, offering to sell the dot-com for hundreds of dollars. If Ken fails to hook a sucker within five days, his software de-registers the domain and Ken gets his original registration fee back. Ken can do this because a newly-registered domain has a five-day grace period, during which the owner can cancel the registration and get a full refund from the registrar. Ken is counting on other people not knowing about this grace period, and thinking that they have to pay his inflated price in order to avoid losing the oh-so-precious dot-com domain. In fact, if you do want the dot-com domain, all you have to do is wait a few days. Don't reply to Ken or follow the links in his emails. Just ignore him, and the dot-com domain will eventually be de-registered. At that point, you can pick it up yourself for less than $10. Hello from Cambridge, England.

I just started receiving emails from Ken Palm relating to the dot-com version of a domain name for which I own the dot-org and dot-net domains.

It is, as you suspected, a scam. It’s called “domain tasting”.

Here’s how it works. Ken Palm has software which scours the Internet looking for dot-com domains that are about to expire. As soon as they become available, his software registers them and starts to send emails to the owners of the corresponding dot-org and/or dot-net domains, offering to sell the dot-com for hundreds of dollars.

If Ken fails to hook a sucker within five days, his software de-registers the domain and Ken gets his original registration fee back. Ken can do this because a newly-registered domain has a five-day grace period, during which the owner can cancel the registration and get a full refund from the registrar.

Ken is counting on other people not knowing about this grace period, and thinking that they have to pay his inflated price in order to avoid losing the oh-so-precious dot-com domain.

In fact, if you do want the dot-com domain, all you have to do is wait a few days. Don’t reply to Ken or follow the links in his emails. Just ignore him, and the dot-com domain will eventually be de-registered.

At that point, you can pick it up yourself for less than $10.

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