Scams are everywhere, but one of the long term scams that don’t seem to go away are domain name renewal scams in your letter box.

What happens?

People often come to us asking about a letter they receive in their letter box, informing them that their domain name needs renewing. Sometimes they may have only just paid their renewal fee a week or two prior, so this of course gets very confusing. Keep in mind that Live Link Websites send domain name renewal reminders to our clients directly via email.

What is a domain name renewal scam?

A domain name is the URL or website address that allows people to view a website. I.e. livelinkwebsites.com. These usually need to be renewed annually or bi-annually.
This particular scam can work in two ways.

1. You will be sent an invoice for a domain that is very similar to your existing domain name (I.e. your domain name is website.com but the letter will be asking you to renew the domain name websites.com. Note the extra ‘s’.) and the scammer hopes you don’t pick up on the difference and pay the invoice anyway.
2. You get sent a letter in the post resembling a renewal notice for your exact domain name, but the letter is sent from a different company than the one you used to register your domain name in the first place.

What should I do if I receive one of these?

If you receive either of these scams, get in touch with your web developer immediately to put your mind at ease. Some of these letters will have a ‘pay by date’ that could be very soon after you receive the notice which can cause some people to panic and pay it anyway.

The sooner you get in touch with your web developer, the sooner you can rest knowing that your website isn’t at risk of going offline.

Can’t someone do anything about these scams?

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) monitor and take action where appropriate against these scams. You can report any scams you come across at this website – Report a Scam.

Beware of Scams

Remember to always use your common sense and if in doubt, do your homework. The internet is great tool for debunking scams and finding out the truth. So the more you know, the better prepared you will be.