Another Scam

[pw66]

Just had an email from a (newly incorporated) company called UK Domains and Trademark (UKDT.org) telling that my 'domain name has been claimed'.
They are claiming that someone has approached them to register the .net version of my .co.uk web domain. They are also claiming that they have a 'statutory obligation' to offer me first refusal to register the domain ( they don't have any such obligation). The .net domain is mine to buy for £197.50 +vat for 10 years.

UKDT don't offer any facilility for anyone to buy domain names, or any other service, on their website so I think their email is speculative. I think the only people to show any interest in the .net domain is UKDT themselves. They are using these emails to scare people into safeguarding their name under the bogus pretence that someone wants to register the same name under a .net extension. They are looking for small companies with websites and trying to work a scam into them.

The company was registered in August in England to an Amsterdam Company with an office in Doncaster and a shell office in central London.

If anyone gets an email ignore it and forward to Trading Standards

[bubbleimages]

We've had these before, especially on domains that have not taken out a who.is privacy.

Can see plenty falling for it as looks very much official.

[pw66]

Plenty will fall for it.
What is concerning about this one is that they also purport to deal in trademarks. How long before they start claiming that someeone is trying to register a similar trademark?

[logobear]

I got last week, 2 min research told me it was a sales trick. Not strictly a scam, but a nasty bit of marketing

[UK Printed Mugs]

I laugh when I get an invoice email from a domain company about renewing our domain - which we never registered with them in the first place!

[roblpm]

Just had an email from a (newly incorporated) company called UK Domains and Trademark (UKDT.org) telling that my 'domain name has been claimed'.
They are claiming that someone has approached them to register the .net version of my .co.uk web domain. They are also claiming that they have a 'statutory obligation' to offer me first refusal to register the domain ( they don't have any such obligation). The .net domain is mine to buy for £197.50 +vat for 10 years.

UKDT don't offer any facilility for anyone to buy domain names, or any other service, on their website so I think their email is speculative. I think the only people to show any interest in the .net domain is UKDT themselves. They are using these emails to scare people into safeguarding their name under the bogus pretence that someone wants to register the same name under a .net extension. They are looking for small companies with websites and trying to work a scam into them.

The company was registered in August in England to an Amsterdam Company with an office in Doncaster and a shell office in central London.

If anyone gets an email ignore it and forward to Trading Standards

Just found this forum and your post after an identical email. I have been working in IT for years and it had me going for 30 seconds! This is going to catch a lot of people!

[Reg]

I've have daily emails from them,each one has a deadline of that day,for a domain name I dumped 4 years ago.

[pisquee]

We've had similar regarding chinese companies wanting to register similar domains to ours for past 5-6 years

[raydavies]

I've been getting these for some years but now the main pest is the "Asian" sounding person with a very British name - like Michael or James - who claims to be from either BT or Microsoft. I use two words, to do with sex and travel and put the phone down.

I thought this sort of thing was stopped but it seems they always find a way around it.

Ray

[pw66]

I've been getting these for some years but now the main pest is the "Asian" sounding person with a very British name - like Michael or James - who claims to be from either BT or Microsoft. I use two words, to do with sex and travel and put the phone down.

I thought this sort of thing was stopped but it seems they always find a way around it.

Ray

This is actually a UK registered Ltd Company, owned by someone in Amsterdam. Sounds more plausible and legitimate than the Chinese calls - there are plenty of small businesses trying to preserve their web presence who could get suckered.