Watch Out For Domain Registration Scams-or, A Lesson For Discussion

Deb — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 07:03:48 +0000

I’m figuring that most of you would know this, but I received a letter in the mail today and thought I’d mention it just in case. This letter was from “Website Registration Services” and they picked up an expired domain of mine (or so I thought) that I didn’t want anymore and sent me a very official letter “offering” me their great service.(!) This service would register my domain for me for only $70/year . . . but wait! I can sign up for 2 years and pay $130, saving a whole $10! Uh, did I mention that the domain only cost me $8.99/year through One & One Hosting – AND normally renew automatically each year at that price?

At first, I thought this domain had already expired and this company has purchased it in hopes it was it an oversight on my part to renew it. That would be rather crafty, yet a rotten way to make a living. However, on further investigation, this particular domain doesn’t even expire until Jan 18. So I still own it – AND – ordinarily would auto-renew with One & One, but I had pre-set it to allow it to expire. I have over 30 domains and it was an idea that didn’t work out. You see, when I have an idea, I’ll buy the domain for $6-$9 and work on it when I have time (in theory). This just happened to be one that I didn’t want anymore.

However, if this had been one of my primary domains and I didn’t know any better, it may have been a different story. Unfortunately, there are many companies out there ready to pounce on unsuspecting clients. It takes awhile to learn all there is to know about how all this online stuff works, so don’t feel bad if you’ve actually fallen for one of these “opportunities”. I think it’s Dave Ramsey that calls the money we spend on mistakes like this “Stupid Tax”.

Have you ever gotten letters like this that almost … or did… fool you? Always get your domains from a reputable hosting company (we list our favorites at Homeschool-Entrepreneur.com/gettingonline )-but NEVER pay more than $10 or $15 for one. There is no reason to – really. Go Daddy is arguably the most popular domain registrar, but I can’t handle their -shall I say ‘provocative’ - advertising. Not family friendly in our home. I use One & One and really find it easy to track and manage several domains at once with their easy to use interface. Anyone have a favorite domain hosting company?

A Lesson For Discussion:

Just a side note: In all fairness, “Website Registration Services” isn’t really an actual scam as far as I know, just a deviate way to do business. It could also be a great mini-entrepreneurial lesson to discuss with your youth, not just as a lesson in critical thinking, but as a lesson in ethical practices. “Website Registration Services” are doing nothing dishonest (I hope). However, are they not exploiting people’s lack of knowledge? You decide, and create a lesson for your future entrepreneurs to take with them throughout life.

» scam watch

Watch Out For Domain Registration Scams-or, A Lesson For Discussion

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