That Domain Renewal Notice Is Probably a Bill From a Stranger
Domain registration is public information. Companies mine it, then send official-looking notices designed to move your domain for a higher fee.
When you register a domain, your contact details go into a public database called WHOIS. Companies mine it and send official-looking notices designed to move your domain to them at a higher price.
The letters look like renewal invoices. Some arrive by post, on paper, with a due date. They are legal, and they work.
How to spot one in five seconds
Check the sender against the registrar you actually use. If you cannot name your registrar without looking, that is the real problem to fix.
Then look for the pattern:
- A deadline that suggests you lose the domain if you do nothing
- A price well above what you pay now
- Wording about a "search engine submission" or "domain listing service", which is not domain registration at all
- A payment link that does not go to your registrar's website
Never act on the notice itself. Log in to your registrar directly and check the expiry date there.
Four settings that end the problem
Turn on auto-renew. Most of these notices only frighten people who are unsure whether their domain is expiring.
Turn on WHOIS privacy. Your registrar substitutes its own contact details in the public record. Most include it free. The volume of mail drops immediately.
Turn on the registrar transfer lock. Your domain cannot be moved to another company while it is set.
Turn on two-factor authentication. Losing this account means losing your website and your email in one move.
Tell your staff
These notices go to whoever registered the domain. They often reach an office manager or a bookkeeper who has no reason to know better. A paper invoice with a due date is exactly what a bookkeeper is trained to pay.
One sentence prevents it: no domain invoice gets paid without checking the registrar account first.
If you already paid one
Contact your card provider. Contact your real registrar and confirm the domain is still with them and still locked. If the domain moved, your registrar can start a dispute, and speed matters.
You can also report deceptive notices to ICANN and to your national consumer protection office.
If you want your domain, DNS, and email settings checked and locked down, email jon@delcaromedia.com.