Just Say “NO” to Domain Name Letters In The Mail

Let’s talk about something I take for granted that everyone knows and I am sorry that I did that.  This is a really important topic.  Just because I have been around website building for a long time, doesn’t mean that everyone else has.  I was reminded of this recently when I business friend handed me a letter and asked what she should do.  The moment I saw what it was I gave her the answer.

If you have received a please ‘pay for your domain name’ letter via the USPS (United States Postal Service) you are not alone.  Typically (99.9% of the time) if you own a domain name and do not have the ownership hidden or private (this costs between $30 to $100 depending on who you bought the domain name through) then you will receive a letter in the mail telling you to renew your domain name right away.  This letter will often look like a valid invoice.  You are not alone I get them all the time and I will tell you that some companies do a really good job of making that letter look very official. It catches my eye for a moment and I have to think about it.

The whole and sole purpose of this letter is to lie to you, it is a scam.

Here are the top 5 reasons why you are getting a domain name renewal letter in the mail:

1.  Over-charge you for the renewal of your domain name.  I never see those letters ask for anything under $90 this is a scam.  Typically a domain renewal without privacy is under $20.

2. Credit card information or check details so they can steal far more from you than just your domain name.

3. Gain control of your domain name and redirect it to an illegal or adult only type of website.

4. Steal your domain name and then charge you a lot more money to get it back.  Once they have your domain name they have control of it and sometimes they just shut down your website and you have to go and buy a whole new domain name and start all over with your emails and marketing.  If you have a wordpress website it should be fine, it will just need to be reattached to the new domain name.

5. All of the above

If you have paid for your domain name this way and it was NOT to your website guru, you need to tell your web tech person so they can start to assist you in sorting this out.

Ways to prevent yourself from having domain name anxiety:

  • -Know where you bought your domain name from (company and website).
  • -Have the renewal date saved in your calendar as an annual event – note the company and website in the event details.
  • -If you need to look up that information you can go to https://whois.net/ and type in your domain name.  They will give you ALL of the details about your domain name.  When it renews, the address and name associated with it and what company you bought it through.
  • -Have a trusted advisor and confirm that everything is all taken care of.

Your domain name is a very important part of your marketing and business.  Don’t let any scammer get close to it.  Just Say NO to the domain name renewal letters.  You just have to remind yourself, you didn’t buy your domain name via the USPS so why, when they have your email and credit card on file, would they send you a letter in the mail to renew?

I hope that this helps to clear things up a little for you.  Small business ownership is amazing and we are all in this together.

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