It happens like clockwork. Every month or so, we get an email from a new client with a scanned-in letter they just got in the mail. The name at the top varies – iDNS, Domain Registry of America, Domain Renewal Group – but the message is basically the same: send us money. Understandably, this puts people in a panic.
Here’s our advice on these letters: trash them.
These companies can register your domain, sure. But 99.99999% of domains are originally registered somewhere else – for less money. To find out where your domain is registered, go to https://www.whois.net and type in your domain. The “registrar” field tells you who should get your money – and they don’t bill you through the mail.
It can be easy to call this type of business practice a scam, but there really isn’t any type of law against it. They cover their asses fairly well. You’ll notice in the fine print that what you’re reading is not an invoice; paying them is purely optional and your domain isn’t going anywhere if you place that letter in the recycling bin. Maybe it can then be recycled into something a bit more important – like toilet paper.
