Hi all- I need some advice both legal and otherwise. I had about 50 domains registered at godaddy.com and my account was recently hacked into. The person changed all of my personal information and then transfferred all of the domains to their own account. I have contacted godaddy.com and filed numerous requests to change the domains back to my account. However there statement is basically since they are not registered to me they can not do anything to change them to my account as the current owner would have to agree. They want me to contac tthe person that stole them from me and ask for the person to transfer them back. I know the exact person that did this (in fact the person is a member here on this forum) I had won an ebay auction for a network of sites from this person and the sites were orginally traansffered to me. Later the person hacked into my accoutn and changed everything and basically stole all of the domains sold through the ebay auction and then all my other domains for a total of about 50. Most of them I could care less about but I have a few sites that are good money making sites and one of them has some real value as a site. I have put in a compalint at paypal also requesting a refund for the auction payment but that does not seem to be getting anywhere either. Is there anything I am missing that I should be doing? Is hiring a lawyer even worth it in cases like this? I am afraid I will pay a lawyer so much and still be out the domains and then have lost even more money. What does everyone here suggest cut my loss, fight with godaddy.com longer, contact a lawyer or someone else? Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks
I hate to say this but if the domain names mean a lot to you, then seek legal advice. Go up the chain of Go Daddy's command as well to see if they can get the names locked up at the very least. And yes, retaining a lawyer is worth it in some cases, especially if you get one who's well-versed in this specific issue.
do you think you can ask a thief to give up something he stole when godaddy say "that's none of my business"
Why dont you name him to the entire community, that way nobody will do business with him anymore ? JMO
I would threaten godaddy with legal action, its the only way you'll get them to actually listen to you or do anything about it.
Hi All- Thanks for the feedback I do apperciate some of the ideas and thought here. Forumranting wrote "call them up and talk to their support, things would work out quick." That is the amazing thing. Godaddy.com customer service can not do a thing about this so they claim. It is the Change Departmnet that handles all of these claims. They do not accept phone calls and will only communicate by email. So far I have had very frustrating time contacting them. I email and then have to wait a day or two for a response. Super slow in fact it has been over a week now that I have been fighting with them. Amnezia wrote "I would threaten godaddy with legal action, its the only way you'll get them to actually listen to you or do anything about it." WEll, I can say I am seeking legal action against them and threaten but I am sure godaddy will not even repsond until an actual lawyer contacts them. So hthat lead to one of my questions where would I go about finding a lawyer? Is there lawyer that specialize in internet law and domain names? AngelaR wrote "Why dont you name him to the entire community, that way nobody will do business with him anymore ? JMO" Well, I am a little hesitant to do that only becuase I don't want this to turn n to a big fight and for someone to state I was trying to attack him or her and it is not appropriate in this forum etc. I am not so much interested int he personal attack I just want my domains back. The persons last post here was on OCt 5th and they do not activily sell things on the site so I dont think other members will be screwed etc. I do have the name, phone number, address and sites that the person owns. I have a pretty good amount of information but it is doing me little good. Thanks Ichibanda
Uhm get a lawyer to send him a letter threating to take him to court... if he doesnt give it back then, go to court. You cant lose in court + you can sue him for monetary loss and what not... im no expert in this but this is what id do.
if someone actually 'hacked' into your godaddy account it will probably be goaddys fault for not making their site secure enough. however, if you 'gave' your password (willing or otherwise - phising etc) away, they'll probaby say its your own fault, but should ethically help you out.
i think the only way they got your password is that after the sale you musnt have changed passwords. if thats the case, godaddy aint ot be blamed, but if the hack was actual [occured via godaddys server] which i reaaaallly doubt, then you can screw them by filing a huge lawsuite and sueing them.... but as i said it is most probably your fault of not changing the password or keeping a real easy password | or even a common password.... lets say you kept you first 5 digits of your cell no. for your password, then its very easy and can be hacked by random guess. also if this was a guess and hack technique, try andf remember the date you were hacked, or from when you couldnt acess your account anymore. contact godaddy and tell them that check their server logs for an uncommon ip, plus if the adresses were c hanged i bet that they can cross check godaddys cache [stored image]for all 50 domains, at least 30 will show your own old address,since it takes time to change in cache. while im not suyre abt the cache part, godaddy can absolutely show you the server logs to show the ip's that were logged into your accounts. ahh im tired of typing...just leave me some rep points since im new in here....
It would help to know how he got in, if it was due to your own negligence or not. There should be a list of rights and an agreement godaddy have it may take a while but see if theres anything in there that may help you. Id do it myself but im a bit busy. If you wish I can possibly give you an email address of a good lawyer (My Lecturer) who should be able to help or refer you to someone who can help. Hope it all goes well. Demon fox Edit: I had a quick look at http://documents.secureserver.net/show/document.aspx?plvid=1&name=uniform_domain I thought id say there is no point on threating godaddy with legal proceedings as they will not change domain registrar unless given a court order or receipt from Administrative Panel. So unless this guy gives back your domains I suggest you get a lawyer so you can take legal proceedings, I don't think there would be any problem in getting back your domains at all as from what I can gather you have sufficient proof that they were yours and you didn't change them.
GoDaddy uses to email the original owner when any change occurs, how is that you never notice it before?
Yeah, that's the strange part. Usually when I did anything to my domain names, I get an email notification from GoDaddy. That should provide you with a red flag that someone is messing with your account. Hope you get it resolved.
Yes, Godaddy's email notification is automatic when anything changes to your account including domain transfer. Unless there is another way to transfer the domain out without alerting you with email?
John Berryhill Ari Goldberger Howard Neu Enrico Schaefer Steven Sturgeon Brett Lewis While I've not personally worked with any of them, I've communicated with at least 3 of the names above. All are competent in domain name disputes. No one can guarantee you'll get the name back. But retaining an attorney for this sort of thing can at least boost your chances.