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<a href="http://www.knowthenet.org.uk/articles/search-engine-registration-scam-emails-0">http://www.knowthenet.org.uk/articles/search-engine-registration-scam-emails-0</a><br><br>Search engine registration scam emails
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2011-01-04 15:08
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<a href="http://www.knowthenet.org.uk/knowledge-centre/business/domain-names" rel="tag" title="">Domain names</a>, <a href="http://www.knowthenet.org.uk/knowledge-centre/business/internet-marketing" rel="tag" title="">Internet marketing</a>, <a href="http://www.knowthenet.org.uk/knowledge-centre/business/search-engines" rel="tag" title="">Search engines</a>, <a href="http://www.knowthenet.org.uk/knowledge-centre/personal/domain-names" rel="tag" title="">Domain names</a>
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<p>We have recently been made aware of an online scam targeting <a class="glossary-term" href="http://knowthenet.org.uk/glossary/d#term259"><acronym title="Domain names are mainly used in web addresses such as (http://www.nominet.org.uk)and in email addresses (firstname.lastname@nominet.org.uk). In this example, the domain name is “Nominet.org.uk”. It is a string of letters and numbers used to name organisations, computers and addresses on the internet">domain name</acronym></a> registrants. It involves an <a class="glossary-term" href="http://knowthenet.org.uk/glossary/e#term267"><acronym title="Short for electronic mail, this is a method of composing, sending, storing and receiving messages over electronic communication systems. An email system requires a messaging system that provides the store and forward capability and a mail program that gives you send and receive functions. Sent messages are stored in electronic mailboxes until the recipient fetches them.">email</acronym></a>
that advises the recipient to send in a ‘search engine registration’
for their domain name, and suggests that if action is not taken quickly,
it would be difficult for customers to find the recipient’s <a class="glossary-term" href="http://knowthenet.org.uk/glossary/w#term305"><acronym title="A computer connected to the internet that maintains a collection of related web pages, images of videos on the World Wide Web. A website is typically accessible from the same URL.">website</acronym></a> using search engines.</p>
<p>This
claim is of course false, but the scammers hope that people will click
on the web address link within the email to submit their details, and in
doing so the recipient may unwittingly give the scammer access to their
computer for other illegal activities such as <a class="glossary-term" href="http://knowthenet.org.uk/glossary/p#term246"><acronym title="When a criminal decides to use spoof emails to target you and your employer.">phishing</acronym></a> or identity theft.</p>
<p>This
is a variation on a scam we encountered a few years ago where domain
name registrants were urged to update the ‘register entry’ for their
domain name.</p><p>Please be wary of any unsolicited emails or calls regarding your domain name(s) or web presence.</p><p>If you have an existing domain name and you receive an unsolicited email about its registration, you should contact your <a class="glossary-term" href="http://knowthenet.org.uk/glossary/r#term218"><acronym title="A registrar is the company or organisation that everyone registers their domain name through. This may be an ISP or a domain name reseller or just a company that specialises in registering domain names. The registrar signs a 'registrar agreement' that is their contract with the registry. For all .uk domain names, the registry is Nominet.">registrar</acronym></a> in the first instance and they will be able to give you advice and verify if any action needs to be taken.</p>
<p>If you don’t know who your registrar is, you can use the <a class="glossary-term" href="http://knowthenet.org.uk/glossary/w#term198"><acronym title="(Pronounced “who is”) This is a common query method used to ascertain details about website addresses. It can be used to ascertain whether a website address is available for registration. If already registered, a WHOIS query provides details of the current website owners (sometimes including names and addresses), renewal dates, the IP address of the site and the sites registrars.">WHOIS</acronym></a> search on Nominet’s website at <a href="http://www.nominet.org.uk/">http://www.nominet.org.uk</a>.
Enter your domain name in the WHOIS search box and it will return
details of your registrar. If you have a domain name that is coming up
for renewal, your registrar will generally give you notice of this well
in advance, rather than a matter of days before expiry.</p><p>You can find more information about domain name scams and how to avoid them on Nominet’s website at <a href="http://www.nominet.org.uk/registrants/security/scams/">http://www.nominet.org.uk/registrants/security/scams/</a>.</p>
<p>Your registrar may also be able to advise you on search engines. There is also a wealth of information on the <a class="glossary-term" href="http://knowthenet.org.uk/glossary/i#term232"><acronym title="Although many people think that the Internet and the World Wide Web are the same thing, they are not. The internet is a collection of interconnected computer networks, linked by wires, fibre-optic cables and wireless connections. The Web is a collection of interconnected documents and other resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs. The World Wide Web is accessible via the internet, as are many other services including email, web pages and file sharing.">Internet</acronym></a> about search engines and how they work, including this section on <a href="http://www.knowthenet.org.uk/knowledge-centre/search-engine-optimisation-seo" title="Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)">Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)</a> on knowthenet.</p>
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