Is Domain Listings a Scam?

Domain Listings is a company that sends bills to business and website domain owners. The bill may look reasonable, but itโ€™s actually a fraud. Domain Listings is a company that tricks people into paying for a service that doesnโ€™t exist. This fake service is advertising that the domain names will be listed on sites like Google, but itโ€™s just a scam to get peopleโ€™s money.

Is Domain Listings a Scam?

Yes, itโ€™s a Scam.

If you own a domain name and are not utilizing a domain privacy service, your full name and address are readily available to the public. For example, โ€œDomain Listingsโ€ in Las Vegas, Nevada send out thousands of letters to unsuspecting domain owners after scraping the internet.

What should you do upon receiving one of these?

Domain Listings Scam

Throw it away. Itโ€™s a scam.

How did Domain Listings access my information?

If you own a house, you may have noticed that right after you closed, you started receiving letters from mortgage companies trying to refinance you, insurance companies, and home warranty companies trying to extend your warranty. This is because as soon as you buy your house, it becomes public information and these companies can buy access to your data.

Domain names are very similar. Traditional domain names enabled anyone to access ownership information through the WHOIS protocol (with the exception that you could buy privacy services that worked as a proxy for your ownership โ€“ such as a registered agent for businesses). This has recently changed as privacy laws have made obtaining WHOIS data difficult.

Even though public domain registrant information is no longer readily available, there are still a few ways to access it: through less compliant registrars and through historical databases of ownership information.

This Domain Listings company is accessing domain ownership information on a large scale and sending out direct mail in bulk to owners.

FAQs

How can I protect myself from Domain Listing and other scams like this?

The best way to protect yourself is by using a domain privacy service. This will prevent your information from being available to the public and make it more difficult for companies like Domain Listings to target you.

I already have a domain privacy service, how did they get my information?

Domain privacy services are not perfect and there are always ways for companies like Domain Listings to access your information. The best way to protect yourself is by being aware of these scams and not responding to them.

I received a Domain Listings letter, what should I do?

Throw it away! Itโ€™s a scam. If youโ€™re concerned about your information being available to the public, you can sign up for a domain privacy service.

Domain Listings is a company that tricks people into paying for a service that doesnโ€™t exist. This fake service is advertising that the domain names will be listed on sites like Google, but itโ€™s just a scam to get peopleโ€™s money.

If you own a domain name and are not utilizing a domain privacy service, your full name and address is readily available to the public. For example, โ€œDomain Listingsโ€ in Las Vegas, Nevada send out thousands of letters to unsuspecting domain owners after scraping the internet.