If you own a website and have contact information available (who doesn’t, you do want people to engage with you right?) you have probably received emails like this. Generally spam traps get them, but sometimes a real human typed it up and send it out so they come through.

How to tell if this is a scam or simply spam mail? 

• First major flag to tell the email is a scam, is  if someone wants to provide services and they use a free email account (@aol, @gmail, @hotmail etc..) run away, fast. This was was using a free/random @aol.com account. (I didn’t know aol.com was still a thing :)).
• Second major flag is there is no phone number listed.
• Third major flag is there is no address listed. And by law, random solicited emails are required to have the business address listed, and an unsubscribe button available.

These are typical sent out (from scripted program ran on computer) to try to get you to reply by email, which one, lets them know there is a real person behind that email, in which they will engage and try to obtain more information to either use maliciously or sell to other companies for other services you do not need.

Better yet, just add these email addresses to your list of spam/block filter and you will already be ahead of the game.

alan.digitalsolution@aol.com |  all spam emails...

• alan.digitalsolution@aol.com
• roy.digitalusa@gmail.com
• john.digitalsolution@aol.com
• gary.digitalsolution@aol.com
• paul.digitalsolution@aol.com
• admin@digitallyaheadteam.com
• corinne@rankhow.com
• luke69457hal@gmail.com
• charlenebakari01@gmail.com
• info@shaxiams.top
• seekamp.hayden@gmail.com
• thomas@charlestondigitalfirm.com
• william@prodigital.live

If you own a domain name or someone has it registered on your behalf you will probably come across these devious spam letters in the mail.

They come from fraudulent domain registrars others who prey on people who don’t fully understand the domain registration service or directory listings in full.  So folks like this Domain Registry (from Jersey City, NJ) send letters in the mail to everyone that has a domain name stating their domain is about to expire and renew now.

And because they know businesses and nonprofits are busy, many simply send these in the mail to their accounting folks (I know actual clients who did) and they get their money, many times without even providing any service.

We continue to get asked about these from our clients or others, which tells me they have clearly deceived their letters pretty well to try to trick some domain owners into thinking a domain renewal invoice payment is needed.

So I first wrote about this other iDNS mail letter a couple of years ago, but my clients and I are still receiving these, and from other company’s. Which is a problem. Why? Because it means many of you are still falling for the scam and paying these fraudulent scammers 300-500% higher cost to own the registration to your domain. And worst, you lose access to your domain ownership if you do the transfer.

This is considered unsolicited aggressive spam. Why is this considered Spam? Because it is unsolicited (you didn’t ask for it) and is a fraudulently deceiving letter, making you think the world is going to end if you don’t transfer your domain name to them. In which afterwards, they (somebody you don’t know) owns your domain name registration. In which they can jack your price even higher or hold your domain hostage to force you to pay or sign up for other related services.

So we want to provide this information to protect you, whether you have registered your domain name with Northwoods Web Designs or some other provider. Here is the word for word mailing that you may receive. Hoping you are finding this from searching, ultimately protecting yourself from this spam company.

These companies who send these letters, such as this one from 924 Bergen Ave, Suite #289, Jersey City, NF (Domain Registry),  attempt to convince you into transferring or renewing your domain using their service. Which on average is 500% above the market rate for domain name services. 
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