domainnamegroup.com.au is a scam

December 10th, 2009
geek 2 comments Leave a comment

I got this letter in the mail recently. At first glance I thought, “oh, does my programmerforhire.com.au domain need renewal already?”…

I have a sneaking suspicion that’s exactly the reaction this item was intended to provoke…

domainnamegroup

I take pity on the general public. How would the average Joe Blow realise that this letter is not what it first looks like? The more I look the more obvious it is; but in an office environment I’m certain a quick glance and processing by a non-technical person will pay out most times. Here were my clues:

The price

$245?!? I paid about $20 when I initially registered the domain why the big price hike?

.net.au

Um, my domain is .com.au not .net.au. Idiots have got the name wrong!?

Domain Name Group

Hmm, new branding again; I registered this name with Cove. Have they been bought out and rebranded?

It’s a scam

This letter is an “invitation to register” an entirely new domain at about ten times the going market rate. A quick bit of digging makes me wonder what the Rafferty brothers are doing these days…

By Online Staff (The Age)
April 13, 2004

The administrator of the .au domain space has won a claim against Domain Names Australia and its owner Chesley Rafferty, filed under the Trade Practices Act.

auDA filed the claim in August last year, following mailouts by Domain Names Australia which auDA alleged were misleading or deceptive in breach of the Trade Practices Act.

It was launched as a representative or class action on behalf of all those who had existing .au ccTLD (eg .com.au, .org.au, .net.au) or gTLD (eg .com, .net, .org) domain names and who received notices from Domain Names Australia and made payments as a result.

A media release from auDA today said Justice Finkelstein had found on April 8 that the notices sent by DNA in July and September 2003 were, as alleged by auDA, misleading and deceptive.

It said the judge agreed that the notices posed as being renewals for an existing registered domain name; that the domain name was due for renewal by the “closing date” in the notice; and that the recipient of the notice risked losing his or her domain name by not requesting renewal.

DNA director Chesley Rafferty was found to be personally involved in the contraventions of the Trade Practices Act and granted injunctions restraining both DNA and Rafferty from further breaching the legislation.

audDA chief executive officer Chris Disspain the organisation would to pursue the class action against DNA and Chesley Rafferty to secure refunds for those who had been misled and deceived by the notices.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/13/1081621941046.html

  1. Pillarinos
    February 22nd, 2010 at 18:18 | #1
    Reply | Quote

    Hi, I am actually in shock at the moment after reading your report on Domain Group Renewal for $245.00. I have paid it thinking it would have to be renewed or I would lose my business name, even though I went bankrupt. I am not sure what I should do now. I have been trying to get through to Domain Group for a few weeks now and have sent emails as well but no reply. I am horrified that they have ripped me off, and frustrated that I cannot get through to anyone. If you have any information or contacts for me to try and email to, I would greatly appreciate it.
    Thank you’

    Regards,
    Tracy
    Adelaide
    South Australia

  2. Christian
    March 5th, 2010 at 17:04 | #2
    Reply | Quote

    Hi,

    Domain name renewals scams are increasingly popular.

    http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/tag/DomainNameRenewalScams

    If you want to protect yourself or your clients, this week is the ACFT “Online Offensive-Fighting Fraud Online” campaign with many resources you can use in your business to better protect yourself. You can also check the government’s scamwatch website: it’s got lots of literature you can send out to “educate” your clients.

    Regards,

    Christian

    Virtual Blades Pty, Ltd.

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