Registrants should be wary of unsolicited offers to register domain names similar to .au domain names they hold licences for.
auDA has recently been made aware of a company contacting registrants of .au domain names and offering them registration of other domain names - usually a .com domain name - which closely resembles the registrant's .au domain name.
This company has been targeting state and local government authorities as well individual registrants.
In some cases the company is offering domains which are already registered to someone else, or a subdomain of a .com name e.g. example.vic.com.
The emails claim the company in question is fulfilling its ‘statutory obligation’ by offering the .au registrant first right of refusal, and hints at ‘far-reaching consequences’ if the offer is not accepted.
Unfortunately, Australia’s domain name registrants are periodically targeted by schemes like this.
Registrants are advised to:
- be wary of these unsolicited offers of domain names and read them carefully before acting,
- understand that you have no obligation to register any domain names offered,
- double check with your registrar if you’re unsure if the offer is legitimate or related to your existing domain name licences.
