‘Your domain name is about to expire!’ is a pretty scary email that thousands of business owners receive every day. The thing is that many of these urgent messages are actually scams.

I’ve helped countless website owners avoid these traps over the years. The issue that these scams have now evolved from simple email tricks to sophisticated schemes that can fool even experienced website owners.

That’s why I wanted to create this guide to show you what these domain name scams look like and how you can protect yourself. Whether you own one domain name or a hundred, these tips will help you keep your digital property safe.

What Are Domain Name Scams?

Have you ever received an alarming message telling you that your domain name is about to expire? Maybe it even demanded immediate payment to prevent your website from being taken down.

These domain name scams are designed to extract money or sensitive information from domain owners or potential buyers.

Scammers use a range of tactics—emails, phone calls, even traditional mail—to catch you off guard. They often pretend to be real organizations and make their communications look official.

Now, let’s take a look at the most common domain name scams you may see.

1. Misleading Renewal Notices and Invoices

A few months back, I opened my inbox to find an email with the subject line: ‘URGENT: Your domain name is about to expire!’

The email looked official, and it even had a familiar logo and included my domain name.

But something felt off.

The renewal fee they asked for was twice what I usually pay. Plus, the sender’s email address was generic instead of my actual domain name registrar‘s official email. That’s when I realized it was a scam trying to trick me into either paying unnecessary fees to a fake company or unknowingly transferring my domain to their control.

⚠️ How These Scams Work

This practice is often known as ‘domain slamming’. Scammers might:

• Send official-looking emails or letters that mimic the branding of legitimate registrars.
• Use urgent language like ‘Immediate Action Required’ or ‘Final Notice’ to pressure you to act without thinking.
• Inflate renewal fees, charging prices much higher than standard rates.
• Trick you into transferring domains by sneakily including transfer authorization, so you unintentionally move your domain name to another registrar.

It’s not just digital communications. Some people get phone calls from scammers posing as customer service representatives, insisting on immediate payment.

And I’ve even received letters in the mail that looked real. They had professional letterheads and detailed information about my domain name.

One letter claimed I’d lose my domain name if I didn’t pay a steep renewal fee immediately. If I hadn’t been cautious, I might have fallen for it.

✅ How to Protect Yourself

Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself from misleading renewal notices and invoices:

• Verify the Sender: Always double-check that any emails, calls, or letters about your domain are actually from your domain registrar. You can do this by carefully looking at the sender’s email address. If it’s a call, letter, or you’re unsure about an email, it’s best to contact your registrar using the official phone number or support channels listed on their actual website, not from a suspicious message.
• Check Your Domain Name’s Expiration Date: Log in to your domain registrar’s account dashboard to check when your domain name expires.
• Don’t Let Urgency Pressure You: Scammers often use urgent language to make you panic and act quickly. If you get a demanding message, take a moment to pause and think things through before you do anything.
• Contact Your Registrar Directly: If you’re ever unsure about a notice you’ve received, it’s always safest to contact your domain registrar directly. Make sure to find their official contact information on their website, rather than using any phone numbers or links provided in the suspicious message.
• Educate Your Team: Make sure your team that manages your domain names is aware of these scams to prevent accidental loss.

For more details, just see the last section in this article.

2. Phishing Scams Leading to Domain Hijacking

I once received an email that seemed to be from my domain registrar. It had all the right logos and mentioned my domain name. The subject line read, ‘Important: Security Update Required.’

But before I clicked the link in the email, I noticed the URL didn’t look right. I realized it was a phishing attempt.

⚠️ How These Scams Work

Phishing scams are designed to trick you into handing over your login credentials. Scammers create emails or websites that mimic legitimate companies, hoping you’ll:

• Click on malicious links that lead to fake login pages that capture your username and password.
• Provide sensitive information, like your bank account details or passwords, through forms or direct replies.
• Download infected attachments that install malware that can compromise your security.

Remember, phishing attempts aren’t limited to email. Scammers may also use phone calls, text messages, and social media.

Once they have your login information, they can access your domain registrar account and take complete control. This is called domain hijacking.

By hijacking your domain, scammers can transfer your domain name to another registrar without your permission. They can also redirect your website to malicious sites or hold it hostage until you pay a ransom.

Remember, legitimate companies will never ask you to provide sensitive information through unsecured channels.

✅ Protecting Yourself From Phishing and Domain Hijacking

Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself against phishing and domain hijacking:

• Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for Your Domain Account: This adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification. Most registrars offer two-factor authentication (2FA) options—usually via an authenticator app or SMS code.
• Verify Before You Click: Inspect the email address because scammers often use addresses that look similar to official ones. Before clicking, hover over the link to see where it actually leads. If it doesn’t match the official website, don’t click.
• Set Up Account Activity Alerts: Many domain registrars let you turn on notifications for important account changes. This way, you’ll get an email if someone logs into your account, changes your settings, or tries to transfer your domain. It’s a good way to catch any suspicious activity quickly without needing to constantly check your account manually.

3. Fake Domain Purchase and Appraisal Scams

Imagine getting an unsolicited email from someone eager to buy your domain name at a premium price.

Before you start celebrating, you need to make sure that the offer is legitimate.

⚠️ How These Scams Work

Scammers often use this tactic to exploit domain name owners:

• They express strong interest in your domain, often offering a price that’s above market value. (Related: Learn how much your website is worth.)
• They insist that you obtain a ‘certified domain appraisal’ from a specific service they recommend.
• The supposed buyer disappears once you pay for the appraisal, leaving you out of pocket.
• In some cases, they might use this scam to collect sensitive information about you or your domain name.

I’ve heard stories from other website owners who have come across similar schemes. These scams prey on the excitement of making a profitable sale.

✅ Protecting Yourself from These Scams

Here’s how you can protect yourself against fake purchase and appraisal scams:

• Do a Quick Search on the Buyer: If someone offers to buy your domain, it’s a good idea to do a little research on them. Real buyers usually have some online presence, like a company website, a LinkedIn profile, or business directory listings. If you search for their name or company and can’t find anything, that could be a red flag.
• Be Wary of Paid Appraisal Demands: Most legitimate buyers won’t ask you, the seller, to pay for a domain appraisal. If a potential buyer insists you use a specific appraisal service (especially one you haven’t heard of) and pay a fee, be very careful. If you do want an appraisal for your own information, it’s best to choose a well-known and trusted service yourself.
• Avoid Sharing Sensitive Information: Never share your sensitive information through email. Legitimate buyers only need basic information to make an offer. If they insist on sensitive details upfront, direct them to use a reputable domain broker or escrow service where transactions are protected.

I explain these safeguards in more detail at the end of this article.

4. Trademark Infringement and Related Domain Scams

Businesses may receive alarming messages claiming that someone is attempting to register similar domain names that potentially infringe on their trademark.

These communications often ask for immediate action to prevent brand damage, creating a sense of urgency and concern.

⚠️ How These Scams Work

Here are some ways scammers exploit brand protection concerns:

• They claim that someone is registering domain names that closely resemble your brand or trademark.
• Phrases like ‘urgent action required’ or ‘immediate attention needed’ are used to pressure businesses into quick responses.
• Scammers may suggest purchasing additional domain extensions or services to ‘safeguard’ the brand, which are often unnecessary.

These scams often arrive via email or phone. To appear legitimate, they may use official-sounding language or legal terminology. They want to frighten you into making a rushed decision.

✅ Protecting Against Trademark Infringement Scams

To avoid falling victim to these schemes:

• Don’t Let Panic Make You Rush: Scammers often use scary-sounding legal language or threats about your brand to make you act quickly without thinking. If you get a notice like this, the first thing to do is take a moment and don’t rush into any decisions or payments.
• Check if the Claim and Sender Are Real: Try to find out if the organization that contacted you is legitimate and if their claim has any truth to it. Look up the company online and find its official contact information. Also, carefully check the message itself for common warning signs, like generic greetings, poor grammar or spelling, and email addresses that don’t look official.
• Consider Talking to a Legal Expert: If the notice seems serious, or if you’re genuinely worried that there might be a real trademark issue, it can be very helpful to speak with a lawyer who knows about intellectual property. They can look at the situation, tell you if there’s a real problem, and explain what your options are.
• Do Your Own Quick Checks: You can use a WHOIS lookup tool online to see if the domain names mentioned in the warning are actually registered by someone else or if they are still available. If the message is urging you to buy multiple domain names to ‘protect your brand,’ think carefully about whether you actually need them.

Check the end of this article for more detailed information on how to protect yourself.

5. Homograph Attacks (Typosquatting)

Domain scammers often use a trick called a homograph attack. They register domain names that look almost identical to legitimate ones, but use different characters.

For example, they might register ‘exɑmple.com’ instead of ‘example.com’. The ‘a’ looks the same, but it’s actually a different character from another alphabet.

This technique makes scam emails look legitimate at first glance. When you receive a message about your domain name, always check the sender’s email address and any links carefully for these subtle character substitutions.

⚠️ How These Scams Work

Homograph attacks trick us because we usually read words by how they look at first glance, instead of carefully checking each letter.

Scammers register domain names that are visually similar to popular sites by:

• Using Lookalike Characters: Replacing letters with identical or near-identical characters from different alphabets (e.g., Cyrillic ‘ɑ’ instead of Latin ‘a’).
• Common Misspellings: Registering domain names with common typos (e.g., ‘gooogle.com’ instead of ‘google.com’).
• Alternate TLDs: Using different top-level domain names (TLDs) like ‘.net’ instead of ‘.com’ to catch users off guard.

Once you visit these fake sites, scammers may steal your personal information by prompting you to log in or enter sensitive data.

Alternatively, they can download malicious software onto your device or display unwanted ads or content to generate revenue through ad impressions or affiliate links.

✅ Protecting Yourself from Homograph Attacks

Here’s what I’ve learned to do to stay safe:

• Always Double-Check Web Addresses (URLs): Before clicking on a link, especially in an email or message, hover your mouse over it to see the actual web address it points to. Once you’re on a website, take a quick look at the address in your browser’s address bar to make sure it doesn’t contain any misspellings or unusual characters.
• Use Your Browser’s Built-in Protection: Most modern web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge have built-in security features that can warn you if you try to visit a known unsafe website. Make sure these features are turned on.
• Be Wary of Unsolicited Communications: Don’t click on links from unexpected emails or texts, even if they seem urgent. If you are in doubt, please contact the organization directly using its official contact information.

I cover these strategies in more detail later in this article.

6. Related: SEO and Search Engine Submission Scams

A while back, I received an email offering to submit my website to ‘hundreds of search engines’ for a small fee. The message promised quick results and top rankings.

It sounded tempting—who wouldn’t want their site to be easily found online?

Unfortunately, this is another common type of scam.

⚠️ How These Scams Work

SEO and search engine submission scams prey on the desire to get more traffic. Scammers might:

• Offer to submit your domain to numerous search engines. But major search engines like Google and Bing automatically crawl and index websites, and you can submit your site to search engines for free.
• Promise top rankings overnight. But genuine SEO is a long-term strategy, and no one can guarantee instant top positions.
• Request payment for secret algorithms or insider knowledge. But search engine algorithms are proprietary and closely guarded. Anyone claiming insider access is misleading you.

These offers often come via unsolicited emails or ads and use buzzwords like ‘guaranteed traffic’ or ‘instant SEO success’ to lure you in.

✅ Protecting Yourself from SEO Scams

Here’s what I’ve learned to do when confronted with these tempting offers:

• Do Some Research First: If a company offers you SEO services, take a few minutes to look them up online. See if you can find reviews or any complaints. You should be cautious if they promise things like ‘instant top rankings’ or discuss ‘secret SEO methods’ because real SEO doesn’t work that way.
• Understand How Search Engines Work: Know that major search engines will find and index your site automatically. And understand that SEO takes time and involves optimizing content, improving site speed, and other techniques.
• Be Careful with Unexpected SEO Offers: If you receive an unexpected email promising amazing SEO results, then you should be cautious. Reputable SEO companies won’t send spammy emails like that. Scammers will also often try to pressure you by claiming an offer is for a limited time, but don’t let that rush you into a decision.
• Stick to Good SEO Basics: Learning a few basic things about how SEO works can really help you. When you understand the fundamentals, it’s much easier to see when someone is making promises that are too good to be true. For details, you can see our ultimate guide to WordPress SEO.
• Choose SEO Help Wisely: If you decide you want professional help with your SEO, look for reputable experts or agencies. It’s a good sign if they have real testimonials or case studies from other clients that you can check. You can see our list of the best WordPress support agencies to see some companies that we recommend.
• Keep Your Login Information Safe: Never share your website login details, such as your WordPress admin password or financial information, with someone just because they offer you SEO services. If you do hire someone, ensure that any payments are made through secure and well-known payment methods.

In the next section of this article, I’ll explain in more detail the best strategies for protecting yourself from domain name scams.

Tips to Protect Yourself From Domain Name Scams

Over the years, I’ve used several strategies to keep my domain names safe from scammers. Here are some steps you can take to safeguard your domain names.

✅ Enable Registrar Lock

One of the first things I did after registering my domain names was to enable registrar lock, which is also known as domain lock.

This setting prevents anyone from transferring your domain name to another registrar without your permission. To transfer your domain, you’ll need to log in to your account and unlock it first. This is a simple but effective way to add extra security.

Simply log in to your domain registrar’s control panel and look for the domain lock option. In the example below, it is labeled ‘Transfer Lock’, but some registrars may use different wording.

If you’re unsure, reach out to your registrar’s support team for guidance.

✅ Use WHOIS Privacy Protection

When I first registered a domain name, I was surprised to find my personal contact information listed publicly in the WHOIS database. This visibility can make you a target for scammers.

By enabling WHOIS privacy protection, your personal details are hidden from public view.

If you’re curious about how this works, our guide on how to find out who actually owns a domain name explains how to find domain ownership information and the importance of privacy.

✅ Regularly Monitor Your Domain Name Status

It’s easy to forget renewal dates, especially if you have multiple domain names.

I recommend setting up domain expiry reminder emails directly with your domain registrar and enabling automatic domain name renewals.

For more information, see our guide on how to check your domain expiration date.

✅ Educate Your Team

If you have staff or team members who help manage your website or have access to your domain registrar account, ensure they are aware of these common scams.

It’s a good idea to share examples of suspicious emails or messages with them so everyone learns what to look out for and can help keep your domain safe.

✅ Verify Communications

As I’ve mentioned before, always be very careful with emails, phone calls, or letters about your domain name that you weren’t expecting.

Before clicking any links, providing information, or making payments, take a moment to verify if the message is real. If you have any doubts, it’s always safest to contact your domain registrar directly using the official phone number or support channels listed on their website.

✅ Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Adding an extra layer of security can make a big difference. I enabled 2FA on my domain registrar accounts, so even if someone guesses my password, they can’t access my account without the second verification step.

Most domain registrars offer 2FA options, which are usually found in the account security settings. For example, some registrars let you enable 2FA with a simple ‘Two-Step Sign In’ toggle switch.

Tip: You can also add two-factor authentication in WordPress to protect your website.

✅ Deal Only with ICANN-Accredited Registrars

It’s best to register your domain names with well-known and reputable companies.

Look for registrars that are ICANN-accredited (ICANN is the organization responsible for managing domain names globally).

Good registrars usually provide better security features for your account, helpful customer support if you need it, and clear, honest communication about your domain name.

For recommendations, see our pick of the best domain name registrars.

✅ Keep Your Contact Information Up to Date

 It’s really important to make sure your contact information (email, phone number, address) with your domain registrar is always up to date. If you’ve recently changed your contact details, then make sure to update them.

This is how your domain registrar will contact you about important things like renewal reminders or security issues.

✅ Be Skeptical of Unsolicited Offers

Whether it’s an email about SEO services or a call from someone wanting to buy your domain, approach unsolicited communications with caution.

Don’t agree to anything on the spot. Take the time to verify the offer or service. If you are unsure, then seek advice from trusted colleagues or industry experts.

Frequently Asked Questions About Domain Name Scams

Many website owners worry when they receive messages about their domain names. Based on my experience helping website owners, here are answers to the most common domain security questions.

1. What is a domain name scam?

Domain name scams are deceptive practices that try to trick domain owners or potential buyers into giving up money or sensitive information.

Scammers use tactics like fake renewal notices, phishing emails, and misleading offers to exploit unsuspecting individuals.

2. How can I tell if a renewal notice is a scam?

Phrases like ‘Immediate Action Required’ or ‘Final Notice’ are often used by scammers. You should also be wary of emails or letters from companies you don’t recognize.

Besides that, watch out for renewal costs that are significantly higher than your usual rate. And always verify any renewal notice by logging into your registrar’s website or contacting their customer support directly.

3. What is domain slamming?

Domain slamming is when scammers send misleading transfer or renewal notices to trick you into switching domain registrars or paying unnecessary fees.

Make sure you read all messages carefully and check that they are from your actual domain registrar. And always be skeptical of unexpected emails or letters about your domain name.

4. How do phishing scams lead to domain hijacking?

Phishing scams trick you into revealing your login credentials by mimicking your domain registrar’s website or communications.

I once got an email that looked like it was from my domain registrar, asking me to log in due to ‘suspicious activity’. Instead of clicking the link, I accessed my account directly and found everything was fine.

I recommend you enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security. Also, never click suspicious links, and navigate to your registrar’s site manually.

Finally, use strong, unique passwords, and avoid using the same password across multiple sites.

5. What should I do if someone offers to buy my domain?

While it can be exciting to receive an unsolicited offer, make sure to be careful. Red flags include when they insist you pay for an appraisal service and make very high offers as bait.

My advice is to research the buyer, verify their credibility, and never pay upfront fees.

6. Are the trademark infringement notices I receive always legitimate?

Not necessarily. Scammers try to use fear around brand protection.

Watch out for urgency and pressure. Scammers often push you to act quickly and demand fees to ‘protect’ your brand.

7. How do homograph attacks (typosquatting) work?

Scammers register domain names that look like yours by using similar or international characters. For example, they may replace ‘o’ with ‘0’ (zero) in a domain name.

Be sure to double-check URLs before clicking on links or entering information. And it’s best to navigate to important sites using saved bookmarks.

8. What should I do if I suspect I’ve been targeted by a scam?

First, don’t engage and avoid responding to the scammer. Next, change your passwords to secure your accounts immediately.

Finally, you should contact your domain registrar and inform them of the suspicious activity. You can also report the scam to the appropriate authorities or online platforms.

9. Can someone steal my domain name?

Yes, domain hijacking is a real threat.

That’s why we recommend using strong passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA) when logging in to your domain registrar account. This makes unauthorized access more difficult.

Also, you should regularly monitor your domain status and consider using a registrar lock. This adds an extra layer of security against unauthorized transfers.

10. Why am I receiving so many unsolicited emails about my domain?

If your domain’s WHOIS information is public, then scammers can easily find your contact details.

The solution is to enable WHOIS privacy protection, which hides your personal information from public databases.

I hope this tutorial helped you learn about common domain name scams and how to avoid them. You may also want to see our guide on how to check domain name availability or our expert pick of the best domain name generators to help you pick a domain fast.

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The post 6 Common Domain Name Scams to Avoid (& How to Spot Them) first appeared on WPBeginner.

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