Friends, it's that time of year again. Time for flowers to bloom, fish to bite and time for this year's domain registry scam brought to you by Domain Registry of America.
When you get their letters, complete with lots of red, white and blue (presumably to increase their acceptance level in readers' eyes), do yourself a favor and throw it in File 13. It is a scam.
Unfortunately, they've been repeating this scam every year and it has those in the know up in arms. If you Google Domain Registry of America, you'll see the word "scam" after almost every search response. They are being sued by at least one legitimate domain registry. So throw their letter away. Immediately.
But this does bring up an important point. If you can't find your own domain registration information, gather it up and keep it in a safe place...someplace where you can find it when you need it. This is vital information for your business and it must be protected.
Additionally, the data behind it needs to be kept current. Have a look at your domain registration by going to your registry or by going to whois.com and make sure the contact information is still valid. If not, update it. Yes, it can be a pain in the neck but you could potentially lose your rights to use that domain if your registry is unable to contact you when its time to renew.
Remember, the domain is not "yours". It is "yours to use" as long as you keep paying for it. If you miss paying for it, you could potentially lose it and, should that happen, you are in for a costly and time consuming hassle.
If you have any questions about this issue, contact me at gary@lwebg.com.
