moniker Moniker Trying to Steal Domain?

[cerno]

I received a suspicious email today regarding one of my domains, one of those letters telling you it is time to renew.

Very odd since there wasn't even a company name at the top, just says "Important Notice"

email came from an email account at this website earnathomesources.com

registerdoma.com is the address to unsubscribe? at the bottom

searching for registerdoma.com it comes up as involved with Phishing scams

Whois lists the domain as Moniker Privacy

The most interesting thing is that I also found on a domain registrar "tasting" list attributed to Moniker, so it appears they might have more to do with domain than simply having registered it for someone.

Out of hundreds of domains, this is the only such email I have received, and it cannot be a coincidence that there is an obvious buyer for the domain in Europe.

I have already received a written version of the same domain registration scam in the regular mail.

Rather than make a legitimate offer to purchase the domain for their client, it seems they are intent on stealing it instead. I guess they aren't happy with a commission, they want the entire purchase price.

Just wanted to put out a fresh warning, I imagine this is not a unique case.

 

[BostonDomainer]

You do realize that "moniker privacy" is what shows up when you use the privacy settings/services offered by Moniker right? I don't think your assumptions bears any credence. It seems like you're just misunderstanding the whois results. Moniker is top notch. And MANY domainers can vouch for that as many can vouch for the personal help Monte himself has offered. I keep my top domains with ONLY Moniker.

 

[jrzeygirl]

I received a suspicious email today regarding one of my domains, one of those letters telling you it is time to renew.

Very odd since there wasn't even a company name at the top, just says "Important Notice"

email came from an email account at this website earnathomesources.com

registerdoma.com is the address to unsubscribe? at the bottom

searching for registerdoma.com it comes up as involved with Phishing scams

Whois lists the domain as Moniker Privacy

The most interesting thing is that I also found on a domain registrar "tasting" list attributed to Moniker, so it appears they might have more to do with domain than simply having registered it for someone.

Out of hundreds of domains, this is the only such email I have received, and it cannot be a coincidence that there is an obvious buyer for the domain in Europe.

I have already received a written version of the same domain registration scam in the regular mail.

Rather than make a legitimate offer to purchase the domain for their client, it seems they are intent on stealing it instead. I guess they aren't happy with a commission, they want the entire purchase price.

Just wanted to put out a fresh warning, I imagine this is not a unique case.

Cerno – Moniker doesn’t steal domain names. Please send an email to legal@moniker regarding this and they will investigate immediately.

 

[cerno]

The whois information is noteworthy but of little importance

"The most interesting thing is that I also found on a domain registrar "tasting" list attributed to Moniker, so it appears they might have more to do with domain than simply having registered it for someone."

Moniker has been registering and dropping the front domain that sent the email within 5 days to keep an arms length, this tactic is used by registrars primarily for their own account

Everyone can come to their own conclusion, conspiracy lovers may believe another registrar or buyer broker went through the trouble to set them up, to me it seems unlikely anyone would scour lists of domains being tasted by Moniker just to find one related to domains and then acquire that domain in order to make it appear Moniker is running the scam.

Regardless I feel it is worth posting the warning when I noticed another user recently reporting that Moniker is involved in his domain ownership dispute. Clearly I am not the first one targeted with some kind of scam from the domain or it wouldn't have popped in searches as running scams long before I ever heard of them.

I forgot to mention in the first email that the website of the end user/ potential buyer - owned by a large european bank - just shut down for a remodel, I mean completely shut down and put up a blank page!

Maybe that means an offer is coming, or they have decided to stop infringing on the name of one of my companies.

Is it really more likely that the email is part of a $75 registration scam that landed on this one domain out of a thousand in my portfolio, or is it more likely an attempt to get the registration moved away from my current registar into the hands of Moniker.

 

[Gerry]

The whois information is noteworthy but of little importance

It is every bit as important as you starting a thread entitled, "Moniker Trying to Steal Domain?"

---------- Post added at 10:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:14 PM ----------

...or is it more likely an attempt to get the registration moved away from my current registar into the hands of Moniker.

You are really quite delusional, aren't you.

 

[cerno]

I get legitimate and illegitimate inquiries every week, asking a bunch of people with domain portfolios their opinion about the latest hardly seems unreasonable

A whois with privacy is not that meaningful as was already stated.

Anyone can register a domain or pay for privacy, but only a Registrar can perform domain tasting.

If someone is aware of Moniker running tasting tests on domains for thousands of clients then that is useful information in this thread as it would contradict information on the practice I came across elsewhere which seems to indicate that the practice is usually limited to the registrar, subsidiaries and the like.

I assumed someone here would know something about domain tasting and the extent to which Moniker wouldn't be involved with tasting done in their account.

All I get are insults?

 

[Gerry]

How many domains do you have? Because you act like this has never happened to you or anyone else before.

I get perhaps 20-30 per week with similar garbage.

Before you go much further in your diatribe against moniker, you may want to seek out legal counsel to help you in defining defamation and libel.

But, what the hell...don't take my advice.

 

[cerno]

The answers to your questions are stated in my previous posts dotcom.

FYI, I have ten years of experience overseeing contract work and litigation at a dozen top law firms across the country, including copyright and trademark infringement matters with many of the largest retailers in the country including Nike, Disney, Time Warner ....

The story of the domain in question goes back many years and is not necessary to explain here, suffice it to say that the buyer appears to have finally realized that they have a problem infringing upon my trade name, pulled down their website, and are indirectly attempting to acquire the domain. As I know the identity of the institutional buyer that would want to acquire the domain, it seems very reasonable for them to contact a large registrar/broker such as Moniker in connection with its acquisition, as opposed to some run of the mill scammer looking to make a few dollars. The question (?) and my suspicions posed in the original post center on whether or not finding the tasting fingerprints of Moniker on the domain seeking to become the registrar is evidence of nefarious activity. Unfortunately most of the comments above don't seem to understand the difference between whois registration data as opposed to the unique ability of registrars to control domains for a couple of days at a time to conduct schemes such as appears to have been attempted. Registrars have been repeatedly caught operating in less than legitimate manners and maybe this situation can be described as very aggressive actions on behalf of a desperate client, regardless I do not appreciate such approaches.

 

[Gerry]

FYI, I have ten years of experience overseeing contract work and litigation at a dozen top law firms across the country, including copyright and trademark infringement matters with many of the largest retailers in the country including Nike, Disney, Time Warner ....

Then you will have no problem defending yourself.

You are a fool's fool for publishing such nonsense.

You should now, being the all knowing legal expert and domaining expert and being all-that, that putting your suspicions on a public forum is akin to hanging yourself. If you have or had real evidence you would have gone straight to the litigation and filing action.

 

[ksinclair]

lol

 

[snicksnack]

Do we have April's fools day ?