Dotty Scott explains how domain renewal scams work, particularly from companies like Domain Networks that send official-looking bills to trick owners into overpaying. Keep a single file with all your domain and hosting details to avoid getting caught.
Answer to that question, it really is super important. I encourage all of my customers to create a file for website that has everything in it. So it's going to have where you bought your domain and how much you pay every year, where you bought your hosting and how much you pay every year. What does that hosting include? Uh, anything related to your website, have it in one file. That way, when you receive letters like this from a company called Domain Networks, you are going to know that they are using trickery to try to get you to renew your domain with them. There's the crux. You didn't buy your domain from them, and they're sending you a letter roughly 4 months before your domain is due. And they know this from the public database of domains. And it will actually have your domain listed on there, askdotty.com. So it looks like, oh my gosh, I know that's my domain. Um, but I know I bought mine at GoDaddy, and I know that I spend around $20 a year for my domain. So when I get this and they want me to pay $289— see that right there, uh, it's probably backwards, but $289 for a year. Who would pay that for a domain when you can go to GoDaddy and get them for $20 or $30? Um, it is a complete fraud, and it looks very legit. Uh, I have got one of these every single year for every domain I own, uh, for probably the last 16 years. So I get several a year because I own more than one domain. And I always just throw them away. But this time I thought I'd save it, show you guys in case you're not getting them and you do in the future. I suspect you probably are, but they are complete garbage. So you want to just throw it away. I had a client call me today wanting to know where he bought his domain and if this was legit because he got one in the mail today. So yes, I assured him he could throw it away, and life would be better if you do. Because here's what would happen if I actually fell for their trick and I paid them $289 to renew my domain, and in a few months when GoDaddy sends me my renewal notice and I think I've already paid that. And so I don't pay that renewal notice, then it's going to expire and my website is going to go away. And if I lose my domain, I— at GoDaddy, I believe I have 45 days and I have to pay more than the $20. Like, it's a significant amount more for that domain again, which you don't want to have to do that. Plus your website goes down and there's nothing you can do about it other than pay for your domain again because you already paid for it once. You just paid the wrong company. So if you're getting anything like that in the mail, just throw it away. If you want more tips like this, if you have questions on website design stuff or digital marketing stuff, any of that stuff, go ahead and subscribe to my channel. Click the little bell icon so you get a notice every time I do a new video that I upload. And start educating yourself. I promise I will give you the answers straight up. I will not beat around the bush. You may not like the answer, but either way, I will give it to you the way it really, really is and not, um, not pull any punches. So you're going to get the truth from me every single time. And if I don't know an answer, I will tell you that. Also, if you do have questions on website-related stuff or digital marketing-related stuff, go ahead and send them to me. Just send me an email, give me a call. I love talking to my customers. Uh, so yeah, I will answer you right then and there, but I will likely do another live so that other people that may have that same question can get that answered for them as well. So go ahead and subscribe to my channel, and I will see you next time.
