# Is this GoDaddy message real or a spoof? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2007, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-godaddy-message-real-or-a-spoof/415219 "2007-08-11T03:29:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-godaddy-message-real-or-a-spoof/415219/1 "2007-08-11T03:29:22Z")
I am a customer of GoDaddy. This e-mail just came in, purportedly from them: > [@](#): > > Dear GoDaddy Customer, > > GoDaddy Customer Support Team requests you to complete GoDaddy Customer Online Form. > > This procedure is obligatory for all customers of GoDaddy. > > Please click hyperlink below to access GoDaddy Customer Online Form. > > [hyperlink deleted] > > Please do not respond to this email. > > This mail generated by an automated service. Is this phishing, do you think? The fact that it is not addressed to me by name, plus that slightly stupid last sentence, have my antennae a-quiver. I get “Paypal” messages like this occasionally – those are easier to spot as spoofs since I’m not a Paypal customer. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-godaddy-message-real-or-a-spoof/415219/2 "2007-08-11T03:42:40Z")
I’ve used Godaddy for years. I’ve never received such an email. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-godaddy-message-real-or-a-spoof/415219/3 "2007-08-11T03:50:14Z")
Thanks duckster, I’ll ignore it unless otherwise advised. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-godaddy-message-real-or-a-spoof/415219/4 "2007-08-11T03:59:54Z")
Almost certainly a phish. [Link.](http://www.millersmiles.co.uk/report/5352) ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-godaddy-message-real-or-a-spoof/415219/5 "2007-08-11T04:08:10Z")
Addendum. It makes no sense for Godaddy to send you that email. The next time you log into your Godaddy account they can popup a message for you asking the same information. Also, what “appears” to be a Godaddy link is probably a fake link and redirect to a website, often in Russia. If you went there, the web page would be designed in the Godaddy style and you would be giving them your personal and account details so they could hijack your site from you. Anyone who falls for such phishing games never bothers to look at the URL. One example is like this: http:// [fakesite.xx.ru/?godaddy.com/accountsecurity/](http://fakesite.xx.ru/?godaddy.com/accountsecurity/) If you happen to glance at the URL you see [godaddy.com/accountsecurity/](http://godaddy.com/accountsecurity/) but it’s really am embedded redirect within the website called [fakesite.xx.ru](http://fakesite.xx.ru) ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-godaddy-message-real-or-a-spoof/415219/6 "2007-08-11T05:04:15Z")
Thanks a million, KRM and Duckster. You can’t be too careful about practicing “safe hex.” I’m glad I asked. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-godaddy-message-real-or-a-spoof/415219/7 "2007-08-11T05:22:47Z")
For future reference, note the grammatical errors in the first and third sentences. That’s almost always a dead giveaway. ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-godaddy-message-real-or-a-spoof/415219/8 "2007-08-11T05:30:26Z")
I have a crapload of godaddy services. I haven’t received an email like this from them. Nor do I ever expect to. I get domain renewal and service renewal messages and that is it. Be vewy, vewy afwaid. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-godaddy-message-real-or-a-spoof/415219/9 "2007-08-11T09:37:57Z")
GoDaddy support will sometimes send you a survey. If you have recently had support. And they always ask permission when they do. And they always have your real name in the body of the text. This is a phish. But if you are still concerned, call GoDaddy. I have found their support team to be very courteous and the online wait very short. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-godaddy-message-real-or-a-spoof/415219/10 "2007-08-11T16:57:52Z")
I recently received one, and I’m not a GoDaddy customer. Definitely a phish. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-godaddy-message-real-or-a-spoof/415219/11 "2007-08-11T17:55:42Z")
If a message says it is “mandatory for all Paypal customers” or “mandatory for all eBay customers” or “mandatory for all \”, it’s almost certainly a phishing scheme. Real e-mails from places like that don’t say you **have** to do something, they politely ask you to do something by some date, and list what will happen if you do or don’t. And that’s if they even send e-mails at all, which definitely isn’t a given.