This scam involves the “Department of Asian Domain & Brand Registration Service”, or a variation on that theme, claiming that someone in China (or other Asian country) is trying to register your domain name with a .cn, .hk etc, suffix. An example received by us at Litenet is shown below.
It’s a Scam
But it sounds plausible, and anyone responsible for a corporate domain is likely to sit up and take interest. After all, you wouldn’t want anybody masquerading as your business overseas, would you?
We’ve carried out some research into the content of the email and exactly what the potential gain is for the sender.
Information
The most common theory is that they are after identifiable information about your business and it’s members of staff. By replying to them you are giving them this information. Whether it’s for use in identity fraud, cloning documents or devising targetted attacks on key people. Alternatively, they could engage in correspondence demanding money, threatening legal implications, trying to extort cash, or simply pressuring you into registering that domain yourself at a highly inflated cost. This practise is known as “Slamming” and is a form of fraud by mis-selling domain registration services using deception.
Doing you a favour
The initial email is written in a friendly manner. It’s intention is to make you think that the sender is being helpful. They have spotted an anomaly and are trying to get it rectified so your business is protected.
In fact, they are trying to entice you, or someone in your organisation, into replying.
The emails will probably be addressed to generic mailboxes, particularly those advertised on your website. Addresses such as sales@, info@, support@ and enquiries@ are typical examples. The initial healine will be something like “Please forward to your CEO or President”.
What to do?
Do not reply. By replying to them they can engage further and potentially use your name for other criminal uses. Contact your domain registrar, they will confirm it as a scam, then delete the email. As always, if you receive an email that is from an unknown source, to a generic group mailbox, look at it with caution. Do NOT open any attachments.
Friends Against Scams
Litenet Ltd is a proud member of the National Trading Standards “Friends Against Scams” initiative. We believe in trustworthy business practises and reducing the impact of scam and fraudulent activity through education. Feel free to share this blog post on any form of social media. By spreading awareness we can stop the scammers being successful.
