Want an Example of Everything That Is Wrong in This World? Domain Registry of America Does Us the Honors.
This scam is very basic. Domain Registry of America sends out millions of these domain expiration notices. The trouble is, if you receive one, your domain isn’t registered with them. Back in the early 2000’s they used to send out notices that looked exactly like a bill. It was only by reading the fine print on the back did you learn that they were in fact NOT your domain registrar and by paying the “bill” you were actually authorizing to transfer your domain to them. To add insult to injury, the new fees were usually double the cost of what you were paying at your current registrar.
This scam was so blatantly deceptive that in December 2003 the FTC slapped their wrist and they were forced to give a token amount of refunds and tweak their advertising a bit. In my opinion they should of had their corporate charter revoked and the CEO thrown in jail. Of course, this is America, so no such thing happened.
So here’s what their notices look like now. Hardly and improvement. If you get one of these, please just recycle it.
So this is the new and improved Domain Registry of America scam letter. They fiddled with the wording a bit, but it's still the same goal: to trick you into tranfering your domain to them at the outrageous price of $30 per year. That's even more than the scumball predators over at Network Solutions!
File Under: Domain Registration Scams – Domain transfer Scams – Domain Registry of America Sucks – Enom Domain Registration Scam – DRoA Ripoff
Tim Arguien
1 year ago
I am in the middle of getting hit by this scam. I manage a website for my wife’s company. They received this “renewal notice” and unfortunately did not contact me before paying it. Went with the 5year plan too. So now since I am the administrative email contact I am getting the requests for “EPP Key/Authorization Code from your current registrar” every couple days.
I know I can just disregard these and leave my domain locked with my current provider, but we are out $95 and this should not be allowed to continue! What a dishonest scam! I want to hurt this company.
What would it take to shut them down for good? I live near Buffalo NY, not that location matters, but I read somewhere they are operating out of Buffalo now.
Disgruntled and ready to do something about it.
Tim
Trudy
10 months ago
Hi Tim, How did you get on with DROA? They have just stung me for $105. How long do I legally have to remain with a Domain Registry before I can transfer to another Domain Registry. Domain Registry of America (DROA) confused me and scammed me into transferring to them. By the time I realised what they did it was to late. They will not refund or transfer my dpmain name back to my original registrar and said I have to wait 120 days when most people have told me it’s only 60 days.
Paige
5 months ago
I think its sad that people don’t know how to read. Being someone who actually read this notice through (and it really is only 3 paragraphs long.) I actually read the sentence that says “this notice is not a bill”. Perhaps this is simply too much reading for anyone who has not graduated from university like myself.
In grade 5 our teacher gave us a test. At the beginning of the test it said in bold lettering “MAKE SURE TO READ THIS TEST THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH BEFORE YOU BEGIN”. So I did and at the very bottom it said “good job for reading through now sit in your seat and watch everyone else”. People were getting up from their seats and wandering all over the room following the ridiculous instruction on the test. It was a valuable lesson.
I would NEVER give my money to anyone unless I knew exactly why I was doing so and although some people may feel misled for paying a company they were not with in the first place, I also can’t help but feeling those people were not very smart to begin with if they could not manage to read 3 short paragraphs.
The Naming Dude
5 months ago
Actually it’s sad that people form companies for the sole purpose of scamming people. You could read this through and still think you need to send them money. It’s intentionally worded in a way to strike fear in someone who doesn’t quite understand the whole domain registration process (meaning, almost everyone). So it’s not about being intelligent any more than doing your own taxes, or defending yourself in court is about intelligence. It’s about the depth of understanding of the entire process. This company exists exclusively to deceive people about something that they are almost certain to know little about.
J Lancashire
1 year ago
August 2010 this scam is still very much alive, a client has just forwarded an email requesting an EPP key (see below).
When are the relevent authorities going to stand up and put these people where they belong as they are nothing but fraudsters trying to extract money from people. These people have been playing this game for over eight years, enough is enough.
> The transfer and renewal of your domain name, *********.com, is not
> yet complete because your domain name is currently in a
> “REGISTRAR-LOCK” status with your current registrar TUCOWS INC.
>
> In order to complete the transfer and renewal, the “REGISTRAR-LOCK”
> status needs to be removed and an EPP Key/Authorization code needs to
> be obtained. Please see below for instructions on achieving this.
>
> Solution:
> – Log into your account with your current registrar, and change the
> status of your domain, hillsdonpm.com, from “locked” to “active”.
> – Then look for the EPP Key or Authorization Code.
>
> – Alternatively you may call your current registrar, TUCOWS INC. (see
> phone
> number below) and ask them to remove the lock status of your domain name,
> give you your EPP Key and allow the transfer to Domain Registry of
> America.
>
> – Once done please notify us that you have done so, by calling our
> toll-free
> number below. We will then re-attempt the transfer and renewal of your
> domain name.
>
> As a convenience, we have supplied your current registrars phone
> number below.
>
> Domain: *********.com
> Current Registrar: TUCOWS INC.
> Registrar Phone Number: 800-371-6992 (Toll Free) or 416-535-0123
> (Local)
>
> Transfer Department
> Domain Registry of America
> Toll free 1-866-434-0212 or for International Callers, dial
> +1(905)479-2533
>
> 8/6/2010 4:00:42 AM
Tom
1 year ago
File a complaint with the FTC or else the scam will go on forever. DRoA appear to be in violation of the 2003 settlement with the FTC and the FTC needs to follow up… https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
Michelle
7 months ago
Yeah, it’s still going on and now they’re targeting my clients directly…even when they’re not listed on the domain. Luckily, one of my clients contacted me, so I could stop them from being duped. But what really pissed me off is that they’re going directly to my client when they don’t ‘technically’ own the domain? I purposely don’t have my client’s info on the domain…I did this specifcally to counter this company’s misleading sales tactics. My question to the FCC was, if my client was misled, and they don’t even own the domain, could they get their money back? I filed a complaint with the FCC and the gal I spoke with was all over it. Hopefully more people will complain, forcing the FCC to take action and shut down this pathetic company!
MadeByAPrincess
1 year ago
This is a transcript of my emails back and forth with DROA last week. I cannot believe this company is still in business. Eric Voisard even went so far as to mess with my account so that I could not access it. I called tech support to get the EPP code so I could transfer it and was told that “something was wrong” with it. The notes said that I wanted to let my site lapse and not renew. Umm…no! The guy was super nice and read thru my emails and made copious notes in my acct stating that was not my intention at all. He unlocked my acct and sent the EPP code to me. He said he has nothing to do with Eric Voisard and couldn’t believe the guy is still around. Tech support has nothing to do with customer service just FYI. Anyway, read this from the bottom up…
—–Original Message—–
From: Eric Voisard
To: XXX
Sent: Thu, Dec 23, 2010 1:00 pm
Subject: Re: Shady business practice
If you want to remain ignorant of our prices and deals because it better suits your pre-determined notions about us, by all means, live in ignorance, I’m sure it is more comfortable for you there.
And your claim that you are giggling to your “friends” on your “social networking sites” has been quite entertaining for us, thank you.
Eric Voisard
Customer Relations Manager
1-866-434-0212 ex 248
evoisard@droa.com
On 23/12/2010 3:45 PM, XXX wrote:
I’m not interested in your attempt at justification although this has been quite entertaining for my friends and colleagues and I on our social networking sites. They are taking notes.
You send me a link to your own site? You think I care what your company says about your pricing and how you beat the competition? I can do my own research thank you. I pay less on Go Daddy and Pappashop FYI.
Bottom line, take me off of your mailing list.
Don’t respond to this, you are wasting my time now. I am putting you and droa in my spam folder.
P.S. You might want to spell check next time it only shows your lack of professionalism.
—–Original Message—–
From: Eric Voisard
To: XXX
Sent: Thu, Dec 23, 2010 12:35 pm
Subject: Re: Shady business practice
Unfortunately we will have to disagree as our letter quite clearly states in bold lettering that “This notice is not a bill”, it asked the potential customer if they are interested in transferring their domain name to us. It is everyone’s responsibility to read the information they are presented with, not reading it and claiming that you were deceived is not a vlaid response and is a way to deflect your own personal responsibility. So your assertion that it is not clear as to the purpose of the letter is wholly misguided.
As for our prices we offer the lowest domain registration and hosting services in the industry, feel free to compare our pricing to other similar services: droa.com/whinfo.asp
Eric Voisard
Customer Relations Manager
1-866-434-0212 ex 248
evoisard@droa.com
On 23/12/2010 3:22 PM, XXX wrote:
I wouldn’t say clearly. That is a stretch. That language is hidden within several paragraphs into the letter. This looks just like the renewal for a domain, not a solicitation. You can put whatever spin you want on this but DROA has designed this letter to deceive customers into thinking it is a renewal not a solicitation to transfer their domain. You and I both know that people rarely thoroughly read through their mail, particularly one that looks like a bill. You are counting on this in fact. I think it is shameful that DROA would stoop to this level and am looking into my options on transferring my domain from your company to another. I think it comical that you mention how low your prices are when it is a well known fact that you have some of the higher prices out there. I had few options when I first purchased my domain name, now there are many and I plan to take advantage of this competitive market and get out of business with a company who seeks to prey on its customers and in such a duplicitous manner.
If you truly want to offer a service and not seek to take advantage of people you would design a letter that looks like a solicitation and not one that looks identical to one of your actual bills. I know this will not happen because clearly your company is unscrupulous. Any company that would do this in the first place is lacking a moral compass.
Nonetheless, don’t send me this garbage again.
—-Original Message—–
From: Eric Voisard
To: XXX
Sent: Thu, Dec 23, 2010 12:06 pm
Subject: Re: Shady business practice
Dear Customer
The letter you received is a solicitation asking you to consider our firm for the renewal of your domain name. You have the choice of renewing your domain name with any registrar of your choice. The solicitation clearly states that you are transferring your domain name from one place to another if you decide to renew your domain name with our firm. The advertisement also goes as far as saying that you don’t have to renew your domain name with the current registrar or with the Domain Registry of America as the choice is yours.
Eric Voisard
Customer Relations Manager
1-866-434-0212 ex 248
evoisard@droa.com
On 23/12/2010 1:58 PM, XXX wrote:
Please take me off of your mailing list. I have one domain with you (papillonprincess.com) and that is it. I received what looks like a renewal notice for another website I have but you have nothing to do with that site. I maintain that domain through another company and I think it is really shady of you to send me a “bill” to renew something you don’t have. Why would I pay $35 a year through you when I pay only $11.99 with someone else?
Don’t ever send me something like this again. This is very sketchy business practice of yours and I will be sharing it with my business colleagues. The only bill I expect to see from you is the papillonprincess.com one and even that I hope to stop in the future.
XXX
The Naming Dude
1 year ago
Thanks for posting. I seriously don’t know how any normal human being could work for a company they know 100% is a scam unless they are a sociopath. Eric is a classic example of this personality defect. He knows his company relies on trickery and admits it, but then blames you for falling for it. What a worthless shithead of a human being.
A dot CoM'r
1 year ago
I love that you have chosen this topic since it has been so easy to find this via Google after my miserable experience with Domain Registry of America.
I provide services to small businesses around Arizona, one feature of my service is rebuild/refacing websites and moving them on to a more reliable platform. For this I have a reseller account via GoDaddy.com Inc. I do not mark up prices as this is mirly to establish my company’s name.
One week ago I began the process of transferring a domain away from ‘Domain Registry of America’ little did I know this would turn into a very stressful battle. First I copied all the DNS records for the Domain (as a backup) next I had to unlock the domain, so far so good I was feeling pretty confident at this point. First roadblock, GoDaddy’s automated domain transfer application said it sent Transfer ID and Confirmation code to the e-mail of record for the domain. Little did I know that DROA had “privacy” check box on the contact info page of their system. So i noticed it was a obscure e-mail address so i sent an email to it and my client received it perfectly, however he never received the emails from “secureserver.net” (AKA GoDaddy). I found this frustrating and dirty, I hunted down the privacy check box and un-checked it. This resulted in a update to the Auth record for the domain and my clients e-mail address was clearly visible via WhoIs lookup.
I re-initiated the domain transfer via GoDaddy and found that they to were sending the e-mail to the correct address.
First Leg down, I then waited for the Authorization Code from ‘Domain Registry of America’ and it never came, the next day I called to request it and was told “I was sent out yesterday” searched the clients email/spam/trash/exchange logs and did not find any record of their claims. I called back and they argued with me that it was sent out already, finally i spoke with a manager who then , after a lot of aggravated yelling, said he would re-send it. To my surprise it it was received withing a few min.
Pheww! second leg down.
Plugged in the code and was well on my way to the third leg of the race and day 5 of my battle w/ ‘Domain Registry of America’. GoDaddy’s very intuitive transfer dashboard reported that I needed to accept the transfer via my current registrar’s domain control panel. I know exactly how to perform this action via the GoDaddy Domain Control Panel, but not DROA’s so I started looking for it, I’m sure you all are surprised that I could not find it right? Well as a matter of fact it does not exist. Here we go again I have to call “Domain Registry of America” for the 6th or was it 8th time? , you get the point. I was greeted after 30 min on hold, by someone who only sounded like they hate DROA and was willing to do what ever I wanted. Instantly he saw that I was transferring the domain away from DROA, he asked if I wanted to authorize the transfer, I said ‘YES’, he then proceeded that it would be complete in 5 days, What $*&#) piece of $&!* mother $^@(*# !!! I was angry to say the least, he said he knows my frustration but his hands are tied. Now I know ICANN mandates that if the ACK for the transfer is not received within 5 days from the transfer request Verisign will automatically process the transfer. Than god that policy is in place, but it does not help me nor my client now!
Cost of domain transfer to GoDaddy : Free w/ any paid hosting package
Cost of 2 year Linux grid hosting package : $47.00
Cost of eliminating a headache called “Domain Registry of America” : ** PRICELESS **
Brendan James Gilbert, Esq.
11 months ago
I am an attorney based in Buffalo, NY. For more information about me, please visit http://thegilbertlawoffice.com. This message constitutes attorney advertising.
It appears to me that DRoA might be violating the FTC settlement they negotiated, and may have other separate violations of New York false advertising law. If you have paid monies to DRoA and wish to pursue legal action, please contact me by email. If you can, include scanned copies of any invoices they have mailed you or copies of any emails you have exchanged with them.
Sending any information does not create an attorney-client relationship, so please don’t send anything that is confidential.
Very truly yours,
Brendan James Gilbert, Esq.
The Gilbert Law Office
Trudy
10 months ago
I want to give an enormous THANK YOU to ATTORNEY BRENDAN JAMES GILBERT ESQ. for all the help he has given me to regain my Domain back from Domain Registry of America. I am in Australia but one who received the scam renewal letter and all the emails that went with it and I was caught and renewed for 5 years! Not knowing what to do as I was dealing with a US Company, I contacted BRENDAN and he was amazing in dealing with DRoA and having them approve the transfer of my Domain back to my original Registrar. It took a few days and a few letters but DRoA backed down.
IF ANYONE IS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH DROA I URGE YOU TO CONTACT ATTORNEY BRENDAN JAMES GILBERT ESQ ASAP AT brendan@thegilbertlawoffice.com OR http://thegilbertlawoffice.com/
“We can beat DRoA and they’re scams if we all pull together”
The Naming Dude
10 months ago
Yeah! A win for the good guys.
Domain Registry of America | /usr/bin/pwn
9 months ago
[...] their practices; they have a rating of F with the Better Business Bureau; and numerous other bloggers have come across—and called out—these sleaze-balls on their shady tactics. The first [...]
Scam Buster
8 months ago
I own over 100 domains and have been getting these SCUM BAGS mail for years trying to get me to switch to their domain service with what looks like a invoice for domain renewal. I’ve even had hosting clients call me when they get invoices from these rip-off artists and some think their domain name will be canceled if they doan’t pay the invoice. NO ONE would knowingly pay more for domain registration services. It is great to see that Domain Registry of America is being exposed fot their deceptive practices. And yes, I think they should be out of business, and I think everyone in their company should be put in PRISON for the rest of their lives…
J. Banks
6 months ago
Well, I have been victimized by theses people! I sent ion the payment ($105.00) and they actually sent me an email receipt. I didn’t think anything was wrong until I received an email today requesting “Domain Name Transfer Confirmation”.
I hate being scammed.
I’ve emailed the support@droa.com folks to stop this action and refund my money but, aren’t they the originators of this scam?
Nick
6 months ago
After reading these comments, I was worried about transferring my domain away from DROA. I started the process to transfer to GoDaddy and had to get an EPP key….and it went fairly smooth I have to admit. I called them on the phone, gave my info, and they emailed it to my account.
Its currently processing with GoDaddy, so if everything goes as planned….either people are fear mongering, or they changed their ways due to these complaints.
dot-what?
5 months ago
My advice always make sure you registrar has telephone support. It makes life so much easier when things go wrong.
I personally like, Namesco.com
Myra
5 months ago
I have about 30 registered domain names for clients. Every time I receive one of these “invoices” I have to send out emails to my clients to let them know that they may be receiving invoices from Domain Registry of America, and they should ignore this scam. Like the rest of you, I’ve been getting pretty fed up with these scam-agents, so last month I returned an invoice to them with a note saying that if I receive one more “invoice” from them I will be making an official complaint with the NYS Attorney General’s office.
Needless to say, I received another scam invoice today, so I am therefore sending them a letter indicating that I previously requested being taken off their list and that I am cc’ing NYS AG Eric Schneiderman’s office.
I will keep you posted with my progress.
Victoria
5 months ago
I just got one of these fake scam bills in the mail on 8/22/11, so it does seem that they are violating the FTC ruling. The small print on the back, that would tell you the truth, is so small that you need a magnifying glass to read it, so the normal person who doesn’t use a magnifying glass wouldn’t be able to know that. Glad I searched this before sending it in, although I was pretty sure I had already registered elsewhere I wanted to double check, as I didn’t want to lose my domain name.
NintendoLegend
5 months ago
Just received one of these bills today, found it very odd — as I definitely did not remember registering with them for my domain. Then the second red flag I noticed was that, in plain wording, right on the “statement” they tell you that you are under no obligation to them. The third sign was, indeed, the outrageous pricing… nonetheless, I Googled it just for kicks, and here is my confirmation. Thanks for the heads-up on a scam that is probably, unfortunately, reaping in tons of money for them.
Laura
5 months ago
You know I have hosted with DROA for 5 years now. I pay 30$ a year for domain name registration and hosting service. That hosting includes 100 web based email accounts and private registration. I checked this against GODADDY and the same service would be costing me almost 75$ a year.
I’m not sure why so many people dislike DROA. I have seen the letter, and although it may be confusing to some people, there is always the option to call the company and double check.
I enjoy the service I receive from DROA. The tech department is helpful and friendly and I have never had any complaints, they always try to assist me with any problems I have
The Naming Dude
5 months ago
People hate them because they are scum. It’s that simple. I wouldn’t do business with a company that makes their money by deception. It’s the same reason I won’t do business with Network Solutions. They too have had a history of trouble due to their predatory methods. And they still haven’t changed. They latest one is snatching up domains that people search for on their site. Then when you go to say another registry, you can’t register it and are forced to go with Network Solutions instead because they’ve locked it up. After all these years they are still predatory and overpriced and rely on tricks and deception to acquire and keep their customers. DROA is exactly the same way. That’s why we hate them.
Doesn't matter
5 months ago
you know, that Laura person is probably one of the people that run this to give an innocent look to this DROA garbage
Name
5 months ago
I have quite a few domains. I also have quite a few letters from them, trying to scam me into paying $35/year/domain for “renewing” them.
How do we take them down?
Myra
5 months ago
On the website of the New York State Attorney General you can find a form to lodge a complaint against DROA. I filed the form a few weeks ago and did receive a response from the AG’s office. They do keep a file and if enough complaints are received, they will open a case.
You can download the form on the AG’s site on this page:
http://www.ag.ny.gov/bureaus/consumer_frauds/filing_a_consumer_complaint.html
You can’t type into the form, which I find to be a pain, so I made the form fill-in-able and you can save the form with your info. You can download the fill-in-able pdf using this link:
http://myrajoyce.com/nysAGform/albany_complaintFillSave.pdf
Please, either way, download the form from either the AG’s office website or the fill-in-able form that I made. The more complaints that are received, the sooner we can nail these crooks.
FidoSysop
1 month ago
DROA is still up to their dirty tricks. And they add a new definition to the term Fine Print!
http://www.fidosysop.org/2740/domain-registry-of-america-is-still-slamming-your-clients/
Beth C
4 weeks ago
Just so you know, it’s Jan 4th 2012 and this scam is very much still in effect. They got me for $35, and I called and asked for a refund. They say it will be refunded in 72 hours. They consented to the refund so easily, it definitely made me wonder if they get refund requests all the time; in other words, they provide no value whatsoever. I thought I was going to have to send a letter, which I have NO problem doing. At the conclusion of the call, I asked for an email confirming the refund granted and the rep agreed. I called today to follow up on that, and now the rep says, they don’t send emails, just process the refund. Whatever. They don’t know me; I’m a take action kind of girl.
Sergey Rusak
3 weeks ago
I just called their customer support & sales department 1-866-434-0212 and made them listen… 3.2.1… Never Gonna Give You Up, Never Gonna Put You Down, Never Gonna Run Around!!! Everyone should do the same! RickRoll them for their crimes!