Over the years, clients with domains registered through Image Management have inquired about a particular letter received via mail. These letters typically come from “Domain Registry of America” (DRoA) or “Domain Renewal Group.” Image Management is not affiliated with these associations. These letters are falsified and a scam.
These associations will obtain business addresses and potential renewal dates through the public “Whois” database of registered domains. The letters are presented as “domain expiration notices” and appear to be legitimate bills. But they are actually a tricky way to initiate a domain transfer agreement. And once they lock control onto your domain ownership, they charge increasingly higher rates far beyond fair market value.
These letters tend to appear six months before your domain is due for renewal. Image Management carefully tracks all domain registration renewal dates on behalf of our clients. It is our policy to directly contact all clients by phone or email 45 days prior to domain expiration dates. Image Management does not rely on third parties or standard mail alerts. If you receive a letter from these associations do not send them any money or reply to the correspondence.
If you have fallen victim of this scam, all is not lost – your domain is still protected. These associations cannot move your domain without first obtaining a transfer authorization code from Image Management. All domains registered through Image Management are also protected with a “Registrar Lock” which prevents unauthorized transfers from taking place. No domain information or transfer of credentials ever occurs without explicit authorization from our clients.
Please do not hesitate to contact Image Management if you have any additional questions regarding your website domain name.
Published on July 29, 2013