Have you ever received a message about your domain expiring and stating that it needs to be renewed immediately? Was it difficult to tell if it was real or fake? Well, you’re not alone. This is actually a very common issue for businesses or individuals who have regular website hosting for their domain. These messages are called domain renewal solicitations. It can be difficult to tell the difference between the actual reminder from the company that handles your website hosting and one of these convincing solicitations. These solicitations often look very similar to your typical domain renewal, but it’s important to continue to renew your domain through the domain registrar that you are used to like, GoDaddy, BlueHost, or any other that you are familiar with. Still not sure? Hopefully, this blog will shed some light on the solicitations you’ve been receiving.

Solicitors who send domain renewal solicitations to businesses do so with the intention of getting money from you and roping you into fees and services that you aren’t supposed to be paying for. When you fill out the forms and provide the solicitors with your credit card info it will be transferred to an unknown vendor that will charge those large fees that are 10 times the normal renewal rate. These letters often include fine print that attaches products and local services that bring in even more fraudulent fees.

They often print these letters in a very seemingly official manner and make them look very similar to your typical renewal letter. It can be very difficult to differentiate between what letters are real and fake especially when you don’t know what to look for. Its always important to review all of the information on the letters you receive before providing your financial information.

There are many ways to protect against these solicitations and keep your business’s funds safe. First and foremost, always read the letters you receive and pay attention to making sure that the letter has the correct business info and is from your regular domain registrar. Next, make sure to train your administrative staff or anyone who would potentially receive these letters to make sure that everyone can tell the difference between what’s real and the solicitations. You should also make use of the common “domain lock” feature that prevents transfers unless approved by an authorized party through an authorized account. This makes the transfer of domains much harder without the proper authorization. 

There are many ways to determine if you have received a shady solicitation. The first is a tone of urgency and instilling fear in the receiving party. The solicitor will make you feel like your domain will expire imminently if you don’t “act now”. In reality, your domain registrar will present the letter as more of a warning. If the letter comes from an unfamiliar company that is a sure sign that this is not a legitimate letter. Finally, if the price is significantly higher than you typically pay it should tell you that this is not your actual domain renewal letter.

The safest way to renew your domain is by doing so directly through the company in charge of your website hosting. By understanding the typical practices of your registrar you will become familiar with the notices you are supposed to receive and when your renewal date is. 

If you’ve received something like this, The Gratzi Inc. can help! If you allow us to handle your domain renewal for you. We will maintain and renew your domain within your website hosting service with us. This prevents the possibility of falling for one of these domain renewal solicitations. Contact The Gratzi Inc. today to learn more about how we can help!