Squaretrade for dnforum

[A D]

I was thinking of adding a squaretrade rating to members so members would know that several things were verified so the user they were buying from was not a fly by nighter and we knew how to get them if any issues arised.

Now the issue is what do we use to give points:

Here's something I thought might help...

1-Photocopy of passport
2-Photocopy of drivers license
3-A recent utility bill so we have their address
4-We phone verify them

If you think is is a good idea ora bad one please post feedback.

Also if you can think of other ways to earn points that help us verify users please advise,

I undertstand we will never eliminate scammers but I still want to do my best to deter it for our members.

-=DCG=-

 

[TPT]

I think it's a good idea. Anything that can be done to stop scammers is good!

As for other ways to earn points, how about:
1 - Get a list of current domain names and compare the whois info with the information provided during sign-up or verfication.
2 - Use Varilogix (or something similar) to automate the phone verification during sign-up.

 

[mark]

i admire what you are trying to do to bring more integrity or less possibility for fraud to sales at dnforum.

i assume that the rating would be a voluntary one vs. mandatory requirement for persons selling domains, similiar to those persons selling on ebay with such a rating?

if it was mandatory for all sellers, i do not think it would be a good idea.

i am not sure how many people will be willing to provide all the information you need for such a rating.

i will also assume that you have plenty of legal counsel to advise you on the ramifications, good or bad, of requesting and accepting responsibility for verifications, use, and copies of government documents, especially passports and drivers licenses.

would it make a difference to me if this documentation was on file and i was a buyer for a particular domain and had no clue about the seller? possibly.

would i absolutely not buy a domain if interested in same because the person did not have a square trade rating? no. if i wanted the domain but was unsure about the seller due to lack of experience with him or her, or negative information from postings here or elsewhere, i would use the professional services of sedo.com, greatdomains.com, afternic.com or escrow.com to acquire it from the seller.

if dnforum.com was willing to act as an escrow agent with the standard bonding and insurance in place for escrow companies, would i consider using dnforum.com as an escrow agent? yes.

these are my thoughts to date.

 

[stevey]

photocopies can be easily forged/modifide in photoshop, best way to vairify an address would be to send a unique verification code by post to the user, when he/she gets the code they input it into there cp, but of course this will cost for posting and that

 

[LeftRightOut]

Phone verification is useless, I could easily obtain phone numbers in 40 or so countries in about an hour, all legit and answered by me. VOIP is such a wonderful toy.
Anything can be forged if a person is desperate enough with documents.
Mail can also be diverted from the original postal address.

It's certainly a good idea but near impossible if you are dealing with high end scammers, or fly by nighters who live in certain countries where fraud isn't a top priority.

 

[DNGeeks]

stop scammers = good
being the next ebay = bad

I'll be perfectly honest and say that the idea is a good one, but we're supposed to be professionals here. Professionals should be knowledgable enough to know how to protect themselves.

It's not my fault people want to use paypal, that's their problem. When paypal comes back and says the funds were from a hacked account and the seller loses out then who is to blame? Cry all you want, but paypal is no where near what one should consider a "secure" system of payment.

If dnforum were to start their own escrow service then that would kick butt. Allowing users to have a balance so when they want to buy domains/services immediately they can, without the delay of sending verified funds. Yes, I said verified funds such as bank draft, money order, cash, wire transfer, direct deposit, or whatever.

You already have the Trader Rating system, this will determine who has been a good trader and how active they are. Just like any other site that doesn't mean someone can't go bad however, but the risks are minimal. I don't think another trader rating system is necessary.

note - if you were to offer an escrow system you would need to force users into using real domains for emails, enforce strict password changes and strict password security.