Comments on: Internet Corp. Listing Service: $35 Invoice*

By: Mac User at Work

Mac User at Work — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 11:29:27 +0000

It must be amazing how many people and employees respond and pay these bills.
In the case of an employee of a company you do not want to be one to take the blame for the loss of a domain name to the firm and its vital website
Worse yet these firms ( leeches) often target trusting people in small towns etc. Often social engineering is done to obtain information – for example for similar scams with office equipment consumables contracts ( at high prices) , the phone rings innocently . Its Mary – what model is your photocopier etc.
What is amazing in the case of domain names is how these groups are able to get names and emails of registered users who are supposed to have their identities shielded by proxy owner services of the isps or domain issuers. Thanks for the article and warning. It is the first such description and warning to this practice that i have seen online.

By: PeterAmthor

PeterAmthor — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 18:05:58 +0000

I get around three of these a year it seems. All making it look and read like a renewal notice until the final last little bit. I was sceptical to say the least since I pay for my domain name through Yahoo Bussiness and everything is done online with it.

I’ve warned others about these ads also.

By: Kristoff

Kristoff — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 10:53:37 +0000

A quite similar scam happenend over here (Germany) but they used a slightly different strategy. Since here you normally pay your bills by automated money transfer they could not send you bills to pay. So they thought up a new company, called it “Domain Registry of America” used *really* expensive paper. (In color and this this special print you often find on the cover of paperback novels) and plastered it with american flags. The mouseprint said that you were actually switching providers to them. So after that they would have had the *legal* right to bill you for their “services” .

I can’t even begin to imagine what living hell I would have had to go through would I’ve wanted my domain back.

By: Cory

Cory — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 21:23:53 +0000

I wish I found this site earlier. I would have posted a simlar one we recieved that looked virtually identical to a typical invoice… right down to an
“INV# 12312″. It was for over $60 and DID include renewing the domain along with search service. My boss almost paid it and then checked with me. (The fact we register our domains for around $9/year was the main tipoff.)

The INV# btw, was ostensibly for “Invitation #”

By: Bob from Maine

Bob from Maine — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 12:23:34 +0000

Hi- I received one of these about two weeks ago, only it was for $65. I didn’t immediately notice the text (on the back) saying that it was not a “bill”, but a “solicitation.” I did, however, question why I was getting the notice, as it was not expected, so I saved it for reference.