Hutch's Blog

Scalping Domains

I recently started receiving spam from a “company” that “happened to notice” I was the contact for a .ORG domain that they “happened to own” the .COM version of the domain.  They sent 3 emails (all with different return email addresses from the same guy) asking if I’d be interested in bidding to own it.  The 4th email came from a completely different company offering it for about $100.00 for 1 year.  When I checked the info on the domain I noticed that its status was pending delete (about to be released).  So I figured these guys were trying to see if they could make a quick buck before unloading a domain that they were not going to renew anyway.

Here's what the email looks like:

Following up about the domain XXXXXXXXXXXX.com:

I am going to list XXXXXXXXXXXX.com for sale in a couple days. At the moment I am trying to reach people who might be interested in buying XXXXXXXXXXXX.com. I found you as a prospect, because you own a similar domain. Should you be interested in this name - I'd be glad to consider your offer. Please use the following link

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely,
Arthur Simmons
InTrust Domains
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Domain Match Makers is fully CanSpam compliant. Most recipients appreciate the Domain Match Makers priority domain notice system.  If you don't, just open the following link, and you will be taken off the list immediately

(Arthur's email address also changes with every spam he sends.  Always the mark of a truly upstanding & honest business, am I right?!  Phew...)

If you want the domain they're offering, DON'T BUY IT FROM THEM!

Using the ‘Domain Alert’ product, I added the domain they wanted to sell to my watch list.  Within a couple of days, Domain Alert informed me that the status changed to ‘available’.  I jumped on to my registrar (www.tcemhosting.com) and snapped it up for $10.00.  That was satisfying

Lesson learned:  If you get emails from companies offering the chance to get a .COM domain you might want to just ignore them and try Domain Alert instead.  If they’re offering it’s probably because they’re going to unload it or know that it’s going to be unloaded and they want to turn a quick & tidy profit by trying to scare you into buying from them.