So I was an innocent 3rd party who got screwed because of other people's mistakes and now I'm out a decent sum of money. I purchased a domain name off of Flippa website marketplace and it was transferred to my Godaddy account that same day. A few days later the domain name is on hold in my account then it was removed a couple days after that. Godaddy says it is because of an "unauthorized transfer" even though I paid for it and it was transferred to my account. I contacted Flippa and they said that the seller was a known scammer and his account was banned. I notified PayPal and filed a dispute on the funds but they award him the money anyway even though I told them he was committing fraud using stolen accounts to sell stolen domain names. They said sorry but they don't offer support for intangible goods. I called my Bank to file a fraud claim and they say since I used my debit card I am out of luck. So basically I have paid for a domain name and even though it was in my account it got taken away because some other idiot got hacked. I just don't understand what gave Godaddy the right to snatch my domain name and give it to the original owner when there is supposed to be an ICANN domain name resolution policy? I would think since I paid for the domain name and was in possession of it then I am the legal owner.
Just wanted to let people know that if you're paying for digital "intangible" goods over the internet using your debit card, credit card, paypal or anything and get scammed--- Don't expect your banks, paypal or whatever website you are doing business through to help you. Say for instance, you buy an eBook online and pay $5000 through PayPal. The eBook is called "Step by Step guide on how to make a Million Dollars in 1 Week" and when you get the eBook it is empty. When you file a dispute through PayPal and tell them you did not get what you paid for, all the seller has to do is reply saying he sent you the eBook and they will give him the money. Isn't that wonderful?! Your only chance is to file a lawsuit against the seller but what if he is in another country? What if you don't even know is real name? Then you are out of luck.
If you're referring to ICANN's Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), that only handles trademark infringement and not those involving ownership disputes or alleged theft. Even if ICANN creates a policy dealing with either of those, that won't stop one from going to court if they can anyway. I could be wrong, but a stolen car will still be taken from you and returned to its rightful owner even if you paid for it. Many countries, IIRC, strive to return stolen items regardless of how new owners acquired them. Sorry to read of your loss.
You got a point, but what if the stolen car was purchased through a dealership? What if the stolen car was wrecked into someone's house and the thief ran off? Would they just give the car back to the owner and not address the damages caused as a result?
Analogies can only do so much. The point is someone is likely to return what's stolen if they can and choose to, and registrars typically choose to return stolen domain names if they're especially proven to be such. I realize it feels convenient to blame somebody for one's misfortune. If anything, the thief that caused all this is the one who ought to be blamed. I believe there is also a certain latin phrase one ought to always take heart of: caveat emptor. Easier said than done, of course. While it might not be necessarily easy, I'm sure you'll recover. Just keep at it, and good luck.
I purchased a .co when it first came out and it was sold by company who never even had ownership of the domain (because of that bidding system they had on .co's). I filled a dispute with paypal and got my moneyback. I explained to paypal that the domain wasn't theirs in the first place to sell. Well at least I got my cash back
Sorry to hear that mate. That is what makes the Internet a tough place to do business some times, you just have that one or two people that decide they are going to scam and ruin it for everyone.
If Paypal, any other legit online money service, or the bank of the scammer gets too much work on their hands handling multiple complains for one client, they will throw that client out... Once a client becomes cost ineffective or a liability, he's done.