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A friend of mine forwarded a suspicious email message recently. I’ve replaced the domain, order number, etc. below:
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From: Customer Support <support@droa.com>
Subject: Order Confirmation for <domain>, Order ######
To <registered domain holder>,
Thank you for registering/renewing the following domains with the Domain Registry of America, America’s fastest growing Domain Registrar.
We take pride in offering you superior customer service and competitive pricing.
*******************************************************
Order Information
*******************************************************
<domain> renewal/transfering
The order number for <domain> is #####.
*******************************************************
Payment Information
*******************************************************
Your check ##### for $30.00 has been received.
Domain Registry of America
support@droa.com
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I validated for my friend that the email was bogus. The domain was not held by Domain Registry of America (DROA), and never had been. The domain was not expiring in the next 90 days.
Later he received a follow-up email:
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From: “Transfer Department” <transfers@namejuice.com>
Subject: RE: <domain>; Order #####
Reply-To: <support@namejuice.com>
To <domain holder>,
Thank you for choosing to transfer and renew <domain> with the Domain Registry of America.
Your transfer and renewal of <domain> is not yet complete.
Due to the changes in the .org renewal process, you will need to obtain an EPP key code from your current registrar.
This authorization key removes the need for the user to send in a fax or reply to an email to verify their transfer request. This is because these names are assigned a unique authorization key at the time of their registration. The key is created and held with your current registrar. You should be able to obtain your authorization key by contacting your current registrar.
Please contact your current registrar using the information below and request your EPP Key code.
Domain: <domain>
Current Registrar: <registrar>
Registrar Phone Number: Please visit their site to contact them
When you call provide them with your domain name (<domain>), and ask for your EPP key.
Once obtained, please click the link below to input your EPP key code and confirm your email address.
http://confirm.droa.com/getepp.asp?e=1&o=####&p=####
You must click on the link above in order to continue the transfer and renewal process.
Yours truly
Domain Registry of America
Toll free 1-866-434-0212 or for International Callers, dial +1(905)479-2533
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The scam attempts to get domain holders to transfer service and pay accordingly. It seems this scam has been around for at least eight years, though it has morphed over time. Apparently the DROA has chosen to test the 2003 judgment by the Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/12/domainreg.shtm).
One thing of interest here is the two-staged approach: The first message requires no action by the recipient, but the second message tells the user to obtain and hand over the keys to the castle.
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thanks admin cool article yeahh
Please help.i recieved a etlter from a company calling themselves Industry& Commerce in Valencia spain also swizland .they contacted me explaining my business name that i might add i don’t use anymore and havnt used for many years could be used by someone else and they would protect it by entering it on there database for free ,i thought this was a good idea and signed the etlter as requested but i didnt sign it in my personal name signature i signed it in my old business name that dosnt exist ,i sent the etlter back to this company and about 6 weeks later i recieved another etlter from them and an invoice demanding a3995 and to pay it imediatly into a bank account number they put on the etlter ,i imediatly smelled a rat and i have reported it to Action Fraud who advised me not to pay any money to this company that i did not do,i also googled this company and found is a scam and they are commiting fraud in europe and Australia .i have recently recieved another etlter demanding the same amount headed first Reminder ,i still havnt replied to them and now getting nuisance telephone calls and no one answers to my (Hello answer ) they just hang up so i suspect its this company i have also read that the swiss police prosecuted them for fraud and sending misleading etlters to commit fraud and a swiss court banned them from trading,i have aslo read on a site were this company actualy hired a bailiff and debt collection company to visit peoples homes to demand payment and this is what worries me so do i just tell them to clear off or ring the local police, i am a disabled retired person and have an heart condition i would be very grateful for any help thank you.
I have an example of this dated November 15, 2011. The recipient was not aware that this letter was from another company. I have advised him not to be deceived.
Thank you for posting the link to the FTC.
I got same letter. They even listed a domain to transfer that isnt even mine but belongs to someone in same building but no apt listed in the domain whois
I received two from DROA and same old tricks… They may have changed something to ‘technically’ meet FTC but the tone is the same, the value is moot, and the cost is gouging accompanied with upsells for $60 .info/.biz like domains.
Hrmm that was weird, my comment got eaten. Anyway I netwad to say that it’s nice to know that someone else also mentioned this as I had trouble finding the same info elsewhere. This was the first place that told me the answer. Thanks.
Huh, I have actually received this as snail mail from the same company. Sure it’s a scam, but it feels like 50% of everything is. I even get mail from a very well known auto insurance company, with PAYMENT NOTICE ENCLOSED printed on the envelope, even though I’m not insured by them. It’s the company with the gecko mascot
No it’s not. If you carefully look over the seiercvs provided, they do a few things (most of which you could do yourself for free), but the main reason for ID theft is that there’s far too much open access to your credit reports. Reckon about it: what does it take to get credit in someone’s name? Just a few pieces of data that are either simple to get or are constantly being lost in some data infringement or another.If you want to protect your ID, just get a credit freeze on all your credit reports. This prevents people from being paid credit without a PIN number instead of just using your vital info.
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