Computer Geeks- Scam Alert

Hey all-
I got a fax today from a company called “Electronic Domain Name Monitoring” out of Canada. Very official looking, claiming that someone “in bad faith” was trying to register http://www.mycompanysname.net. We are currently hosting our website at http://www.mycompanysname.com, so they wanted to give me a heads up and the opportunity to buy this other domain registration before some pornography pushing, puppy kicking, father raping person “steals” it. It even says:

“You are required to submit to us your opposition to the third party domain name registration contemplated herein and expressly advise us of your intent to license this domain name prior to the expiration of this notice” (three days)

Reasons I believe this is a scam:

A quick internet search yielded several messages to different computer lists asking about this fax, all worded the same way. Some of the domain names in question were things like http://www.someonesname.com. Not even business names!

There is no e-mail reply address for more info- just an 877 number that connects you to a voice mail box.

There is a website called http://www.electronicdomainnamemonitoring.com but when you go on there and click a link, you are redirected to http://www.eyeondomain.com. WTF???

As far as I’m aware, there is no “waiting period” for domain names. If I want to register http://www.mycompanyname.net today I should be able to do it for a few bucks and a few minutes. Why would this registration be “on hold” for three days waiting for me to make up my mind? Couldn’t I register that name and the company would have to sue me to get it back if there was infringement?

At the bottom it says this:
NOTE: YOU MANY DISREGARD THIS NOTICE. If you disregard this notice or fail to reply by the deadline: (A)EDNM may assign the licensing rights of this domain name to any applicant (yeah, me or anyone else). (B)EDNM will not be liable for loss of domain name license, identical or comfusingly similar use of your company’s name; or interruption of business activity or business losses (OK…why would you be responsible?? Who the hell are you scammers???)

Opinions? Questions? Anyone had experience with these people?

Zette
(I was born at night, but it wasn’t last night)

Sounds like they are trying to scare (hehheh) up business.

gotta be a scam. after all, as i understand the laws and rules of doamin registration, you can contest a doamin name that should be yours. kind of like if someone created a domain of mycompany.com, i can then get (at a minimum) arbitration to the rights of that domain. the arbitrater then decides who deserves it. i think all the domain registration sites go over this somewhere.

If they are only charging the standard $90 registration, I would say it is a sales ploy, namely they bought the name and will sell it to you. If they want all kinds of fees and such above the registration price, then it is a scam.

They haven’t registered the name- I checked. They want you to send them a standard fee (similar to other domain name registering services), but they are trying to get you to do it by scaring you into thinking someone is infringing on your company name. I’m sending a letter of complaint to the Attorney General about it today.

Zette

This is very probably illegal. Contact whoever the authority is over there; it implies that you have an obligation to these people, and is thus attempting to deceive you into purchasing from them. They are probably just another crappy domain registrar (or even worse, maybe they take your money and just go through a respectable one, while adding on a “service charge” or something equally ridiculous). This is a crock, though, and people like this deserve a good legal asskicking.

http://www.netsearchers.net/front-page-news/hoax.htm

More info about it

Call from a payphone, and listen to what they say. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR NUMBER OR EMAIL ADDRESS!!! If it’s an illegal scam or they get nasty, use the toll-free number in a creative way…

Obnoxious spam can flow in both directions.