Avoiding DOMAIN Scams

I was recently one of the many victims of a domain scam here at DP.
I posted ten LLLL.COM domains fo sale here.

The domains are...
AOYC.COM
BXXN.COM
EWXZ.COM
FXVV.COM
QRSQ.COM
QXQZ.COM
WZMK.COM
ZLMK.COM
ZXQS.COM
ZXQV.COM

I have learned my lesson and will verify the person`s identity before any transfer of domains occurs in the future.

I encourage everyone who wants to do honest business here (or anywhere) in the domain realm to verify the other person`s identity before paying for and transferring any domain you intend to sell.
You can easily lookup the WHOIS on the domain and call the person at the telephone number listed. If the WHOIS is private, ask the person you`re doing business with to provide it. Just one quick call can save so much hassle and expense.
And, the effect of this, multiplied by everyone here, will make it very difficult for a scammer to unload a stolen domain. Just the threat of ID verification would be enough to deter a scammer from even trying to post a sales thread here.

And, if you`ve been scammed out of some domains, post them here or somewhere. Leave a record that they`ve been stolen. If they are searched, then some other person may alert you, one day, that your domain is being offered for sale somewhere.

 

Thanks. This was interesting.

 

I assume you have left negative trade feedback or something on the peoples usernames here at DP that scammed you...right? This is a built in system for us that sell to try and alert others on the board not to work with these people. if they have no trade feedback or have just created an account, you tread lightly...

If you are scammed in some way or wronged somehow...make sure you leave feedback on their itrader rating ect.. explaining it for others to see and avoid trading with them in the future.

 

Did this person have any prior iTrader? Is/was this persona brand new member to DP? Sorry to hear about this.. Please post the users name here so that people who come across this thread can steer clear if mods here have not already banned him.

 

This person hacked an account with 30+ iTrader so you can`t rely on iTrader ratings at all.
They are pretty much useless.

Best way is to verify the owner of the domain. Call them.

 

Thanks for the heads up!

 

how did they hack a register account? that seems incredibly fishy...did you give them info or something? What registar was it so people can avoid using a place where it must be easy to hack into a domain account...

 

Recently I've got an offer here with following domains..

AOYC.COM 5/6/2008
BXXN.COM 5/6/2008
EWXZ.COM 5/6/2008
FXVV.COM 5/6/2008
IBJF.COM 8/24/2008
IHYM.COM 9/8/2008
QRSQ.COM 5/6/2008
QXQZ.COM 5/6/2008
WZMK.COM 5/6/2008
ZLMK.COM 5/6/2008
ZXQS.COM
OZJK.COM 05/02/2008
OZJW.COM 05/02/2008
QKBW.COM 05/02/2008
UHXK.COM
CYWP.COM
DLVU.COM
GJQV.COM
HZUD.COM
HZVQ.COM
KJWV.COM
KMQO.COM
LHOZ.COM
MHFZ.COM
QCKO.COM
WMUQ.COM
WQYO.COM
WUTQ.COM

As you can see, some of this domains was stolen from Crazy_Zap Thanks God that I didn't bought any of them.

What about other domains? there are high probability that other domains may be stolen from someone else. Please leave a record if they've been stolen.

 

Can you explain HOW you were scammed?
Thanks !

 

I don't mean to go on a rant here, but I think that what happened to you is appalling...I am a new domainer (one month ) and I have been reading thread after thread from people being ripped off... Not only is it disgusting, it hurts all honest domainers. Quite honestly, I for one am thinking of giving up accepting/sending through Paypal and just going with Moneybookers. Perhaps I am too new to know the difference, but why don't all domainers use Moneybookers? From what I see, it is virtually the same as Paypal except for the Ebay thing. If honest people cannot find a safe method of sending/receiving money, the "scammer" problem will only get so bad that domainers will just give up...especially new ones.

Crazy Zap...Your idea of a permenent thread that lists the domains that have been stolen or illegally obtained should be made, not only here, but on every domaining forum. Perhaps even better, a "stolen domain" website. That way, anyone can quickly scan the list and ensure that it has not been stolen. Although I don't have the technical exprtise to do this, I am sure that there are plenty of people that can do this easily. Although this will not prevent the sale of stolen domains, it will at least provide a record to anyone buying that they are dealing with thieves and scam artists.

Thats it for now, and once again, sorry to hear your news. Take care, Mark

 

Accounts anywhere can be hacked. There is strong suspicion that the person I dealt with was already working with their 3rd hacked account here at DP. They also did other deals with other people and had hacked 2 different Paypal accounts in addition to the 3 DP accounts that were hacked.
Are you going to avoid using DP and Paypal?

In my particular case, they paid for the domains using a hacked Paypal account. 3 Days after the domains were transferred, Paypal took the money back because it was obvious that the account was hacked. I transferred my domains willingly, so GoDaddy didn`t even give me the time of day.

The problem is widespread, maniac2002, but if we all start watching our transactions a lot more closely and verifying the ID of domainers we deal with, then the problem will go away for most of us. Scammers will quickly realize that if they are going to be called on the phone when they try to unload their domains, it will be much tougher to sell them.

Things we can do as domainers to protect ourselves...
1. If you get scammed, post about it somewhere, at least on one forum so that the domain list gets indexed by search engines.
2. Verify the ID of the person you are dealing with.
3. Search for domains that you intend to buy, not just in popular forums, but in search engines too.
4. Understand that every single time you use Paypal, you take a huge risk. Paypal`s policy on intangible goods (domains and/or websites) is a policy of non-involvement. They will not help you.

 

Domains have been recovered. Thanks to everyone who helped along the way.
I will be updating my blog in the next day or two when I get some time.
Hopefully, what I`ve learned can help others who find themselves in this situation one day.

Again, thanks to everyone who helped out. I appreciate it.

 

how did you got back your domains ?

 

Let's just say I "convinced" the scammer to give them back to me.
Forget about Paypal and GoDaddy. They will not help you one little bit.

 

Congrats!
wow...that's interesting.

by the way, how did you convince the scammer?
maybe we can learn something

 

Thanks for the tip

I learned it the hard way

 

I followed him around from forum to forum, wherever he attempted to sell my domains, and exposed him.
I also made sure he understood that I would continue that pattern until he returned my domains to me.

I should also add that I had help from many sources along the way, other honest domainers who are just as fed up as I am with the scams, and they passed on bits of information to help me.

Advice I can offer...

1. It's a hunt. You against the scammer. One of you is going to get tired first. Make sure it isn't you.
2. Search Google several times a day for all of your domains. (And "LLLL.COM SALE" in this case)
3. Continue to gather evidence along the way and use it to help others who have been scammed by the same person. They will, in turn, help you and pass on information.
4. Continue to pound it into the scammer's head that they will not be able to get rid of the domains.
5. Check the information in the WHOIS of any domain that you are planning to buy. Verify it. Call the person up, don't e-mail them. This doesn't directly help you get your domains back, but it helps create an atmosphere where it's very difficult to unload stolen domains. If the majority of us domainers stick to the spirit of this, the chances of recovery go up.
6. Publicize the theft of your domains and list each one. Potential buyers of them who search them will find you.

 

Good stuff Zap. And making a phone call is always a good move - I often do that myself before i buy if something seems even slightly "off"

Congrats getting your names back and nice job informing us how it all panned out.

 

Thanks for all the info CZ.
I hope to remember when someone is paying me via Paypal that it could be a hacked acc.
I normally dont sell domains, but when I do, I usually take care to see its a reputed member online.

Wish you well & congrats for getting em back : )

 

Unfortunately, that's not enough. Forum accounts also get hacked on occasion.