Ever received something in the mail that looks as if you need to send a few hundred dollars to a “Website Listing Service” or “Domain Renewal Subscription” or other such reasonable-sounding business? It looks real, it has a logo and a return address area, includes a phone number and an email address. But if you read the letter closely – it’s not real. It’s a cleverly designed solicitation, trying to make you believe that you owe money to a company in charge of your domain name.
Recently a handful of our clients have asked us to review these types of letters to confirm if they should pay the fee. Whether we’ve helped them with their domain name registration or not, it seems reasonable that the people who worked on their website can and should know about it. We always advise them to toss the letter in the recycle bin, and thank them for asking our advice. Surprisingly, we got one ourselves here at Stride, and realized how easy it is to skim it and think it’s legitimate.
Always read the fine print! “This is not a bill. This is a solicitation. You are under no obligation to pay the amount stated above unless you accept this offer.”
And by the way, domains should cost you a fraction of the invoice shown here.
