Whether you have an actual website or just a domain name, you have likely received something in the mail that looks like an invoice. If it looks like the image here and you pay it, unfortunately, you have been fooled.
Why Is This a Scam?
The image here is an example of one of these invoices that was sent to one of our clients. Fortunately, she listened to the advice we give all clients when we start working with them: If you ever get any solicitation by phone, email or mail and it’s in reference to your website, internet marketing or your domain name and you’re not 100% sure that it is legitimate, contact us before you respond so that we can take a look at it to make sure you’re not being scammed.
To the unsuspecting recipient, the invoice could look legitimate. It will probably have an official looking logo. It will likely have the company’s return address. They will also show your ‘account number’. However, none of this is real.
So how can we be sure this bill is deceptive? Well, here are a few red flags that should make you pause:
- Do you remember signing up with this company? If not, that’s the first red flag.
- Read the document carefully, as there usually are indicators that this is not an invoice. On the letter sent to our client it had the information stated below.
Notice how it outlines that this is not a bill, but a solicitation. This is a clear indication that you should discard this letter, and not pay anything.
If going through those steps still doesn’t convince you that the invoice is fake, you can always use your favorite search engine and search for topics like “domain name listing scam” or “internet listing scam” and read through the thousands of results. You’ll even see some comments from people who blindly paid the invoice and later found out they had unknowingly relinquished ownership of their domain name!
Bottom Line
If you get one of these invoices and you pay it, that means you ran right through several red flags and got fooled. The company is not doing anything illegal. Unethical, indeed, but not technically illegal. Your best defense as a business owner or employee is to use your head.
Do your research and feel free to contact us and we would be happy to take a look.
If you have stories of your own, share them in the comments section below. The more we can get the word out, the harder it will be for companies like them to scam the rest of us out of our hard-earned money.
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