Domain Squatting/Cybersquatting: It’s Not Just For Get-Rich-Quick Scammer Trailer Dwellers Anymore
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I received a call yesterday from a client of mine because a client’s site appeared to be down. Since the site was hosted on my server, I typed in the domain name and was somewhat surprised to find this:
Explanation of the Screen Capture
For those of who are unfamiliar with the page that you see in the screen capture above, this is known as a domain squatting, or cybersquatting page. Usually it is put in place by someone who backorders an expired domain name or someone who orders a domain name that they think will be a “premium domain name” to take advantage of any accidental type-in or link referral traffic; as visitors see the page, some of them will click on what few hyperlinks there are on the page and the squatter/domain owner will get paid for each clickthrough. In some cases, the domain will be offered up for sale, and the buyer will quite often pay in the thousands of dollars to a cybersquatter for a “premium domain name”.
In most cases, expiring domains are backordered by someone looking to get rich quick or pick up a few extra bucks in the short term, with no regard to long-term consequences associated with the domain name. The cybersquatter usually intends to grab some quick cash, walk away, and leave the mess for the next owner of the domain.
The responsibility for the lapse in domain renewal ultimately falls on the registrant of the domain name; I’ve had this happen on two separate occasions myself, because I never paid attention and the domain itself expired for a few days. However, domain registrars do allow a grace period for registrants who may not have realized that their domains have expired to renew them. In the case of the client’s client, the registrant email to which the renewal notice was sent had been changed and the client was unaware that the domain was going to expire; this is a fairly common occurrence when domain names are involved.
This grace period usually lasts between 45-60 days, depending on the registrar; during this period, the site associated with the domain will appear to be unreachable.
So Who Put the Debt Consolidation Page Up on the Expired Domain?
A WHOIS lookup on the domain name as of today (February 9, 2008) reveals the following information. My client’s client will be paying for the domain renewal at some point this weekend, so this information will change at some point within the next few days:
NOTICE: Access to .ORG WHOIS information is provided to assist persons in
determining the contents of a domain name registration record in the Public Interest Registry
registry database. The data in this record is provided by Public Interest Registry
for informational purposes only, and Public Interest Registry does not guarantee its
accuracy. This service is intended only for query-based access. You agree
that you will use this data only for lawful purposes and that, under no
circumstances will you use this data to: (a) allow, enable, or otherwise
support the transmission by e-mail, telephone, or facsimile of mass
unsolicited, commercial advertising or solicitations to entities other than
the data recipient’s own existing customers; or (b) enable high volume,
automated, electronic processes that send queries or data to the systems of
Registry Operator or any ICANN-Accredited Registrar, except as reasonably
necessary to register domain names or modify existing registrations. All
rights reserved. Public Interest Registry reserves the right to modify these terms at any
time. By submitting this query, you agree to abide by this policy.Domain ID:D94266921-LROR
Domain Name:SBCANADA.ORG
Created On:22-Jan-2003 15:54:38 UTC
Last Updated On:24-Jan-2008 00:01:13 UTC
Expiration Date:22-Jan-2009 15:54:38 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Register.com Inc. (R71-LROR)
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:EC27E6CB022F0397
Registrant Name:Primus CA
Registrant Organization:PRIMUS Telecommunications Canada Inc.
Registrant Street1:5343 Dundas Street West
Registrant Street2:Suite 400
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Etobicoke
Registrant State/Province:ONTARIO
Registrant Postal Code:M9B6K5
Registrant Country:CA
Registrant Phone:+1.4162363636
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:dns-house@primustel.ca
Admin ID:EC27E6CB022F0397
Admin Name:Primus CA
Admin Organization:PRIMUS Telecommunications Canada Inc.
Admin Street1:5343 Dundas Street West
Admin Street2:Suite 400
Admin Street3:
Admin City:Etobicoke
Admin State/Province:ONTARIO
Admin Postal Code:M9B6K5
Admin Country:CA
Admin Phone:+1.4162363636
Admin Phone Ext.:
Admin FAX:
Admin FAX Ext.:
Admin Email:dns-house@primustel.ca
Tech ID:EC27E6CB022F0397
Tech Name:Primus CA
Tech Organization:PRIMUS Telecommunications Canada Inc.
Tech Street1:5343 Dundas Street West
Tech Street2:Suite 400
Tech Street3:
Tech City:Etobicoke
Tech State/Province:ONTARIO
Tech Postal Code:M9B6K5
Tech Country:CA
Tech Phone:+1.4162363636
Tech Phone Ext.:
Tech FAX:
Tech FAX Ext.:
Tech Email:dns-house@primustel.ca
Name Server:DNS01.GPN.REGISTER.COM
Name Server:DNS02.GPN.REGISTER.COM
Name Server:DNS03.GPN.REGISTER.COM
Name Server:DNS04.GPN.REGISTER.COM
Name Server:DNS05.GPN.REGISTER.COM
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
As we can see from the WHOIS lookup information listed in the screen capture above, Primus Telecommunications Canada is the registrant of record. So it appears that Primus Canada took control of the domain name on January 24, 2008, and proceeded to put the debt consolidation page on the expired domain.
But wait…there is another piece of information in the WHOIS lookup that provides the key to isolating who is responsible for the debt consolidation page.
Name Server:DNS01.GPN.REGISTER.COM
Name Server:DNS02.GPN.REGISTER.COM
Name Server:DNS03.GPN.REGISTER.COM
Name Server:DNS04.GPN.REGISTER.COM
Name Server:DNS05.GPN.REGISTER.COM
For those unfamiliar with the concept, name servers are the servers that point a domain name to its intended destination. In the case of larger companies such as Primus Canada, the name servers are of a form similar to ns01.primus.ca. In this particular case, the name servers (or DNS servers, as they’re sometimes known) belong to Register.com, the domain registrar.
So What Does This Mean?
It means that the useless debt consolidation page is hosted on Register.com’s servers, and that Register.com is making a profit off of expired domains in a manner normally reserved for get-rich-quick scammers. The practice of cybersquatting a domain name is incredibly unethical and in some cases illegal; so why is it that a large registrar that should have no reason to put up a debt consolidation page, such as Register.com, effectively hold a domain for ransom by doing so? While Register.com won’t charge in the thousands of dollars to renew the domain and thus doesn’t meet the conventional definition of cybersquatting, the registrant is forced to renew in order to avoid any damage being done to their business as the result of said debt consolidation page, and do so as quickly as possible to minimize the damage caused. Register.com is using a domain name belonging to a business in bad faith, if only on a temporary basis.
This has got to stop, and the sooner the better. And for those of you out there who still think Register.com is a quality, ethical registrar…think again.
February 10th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Doesn’t godaddy do the same thing? When you register a domain, I think it’s parked on all kinds of advertising until you upload everything … once they send you the credentials and all that.
February 10th, 2008 at 1:32 am
Yes, they do, and that’s pretty bad as well. But this is the first time I’ve seen a registrar do that with an expired domain, and it’s also quite clear that it’s GoDaddy doing it. Register.com leaves no trace whatsoever on the page itself that an average user would figure out.
February 10th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Adam, do you remember this thread at Webmaster-talk? http://www.webmaster-talk.com/ecommerce-and-general-business-forum/49160-how-i-deal-non-paying-client.html
well a couple of days ago the link to the guys “hate” site was down… but now… ?
February 10th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
[...] Adam Senour had an excellent blog post yesterday on cybersquatting. The sad thing about this practice is that, in a lot of cases, it is preventable. Probably in just as many, it isn’t. But Adam admits that he himself has allowed his domains to expire and fall victim to cybersquatting. The registrants who take these domain names are unscrupulous at best. The Web community needs to figure out a way to put a stop to this. [...]
February 11th, 2008 at 1:53 am
Wow, Rolda…I’d forgotten all about that thread (primarily because that pattern occurs all too often online)…but yeah, that’s not bad. In this case, the registrar (MetaPredict.com) seems to be pulling the same stunt. The difference, in this case, is that they’re also the registrant of note…so, unless they have a private registration agreement with a separate registrant, they likely own it.
A WHOIS reveals some rather interesting stuff (specifically, that MetaPredict owns about 386,466 other domains.) Assuming that count is even close to accurate, that’s 7 digits’ worth of domains just in terms of root governing body costs (ICANN, CIRA, if I recall correctly Nominet in the UK, etc.)
Good find. I didn’t think we’d actually end up with a second company that most people wouldn’t have heard of (including, I must confess, yours truly.)
February 17th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
[...] are current Network Solutions customers, or for those of you who have some knowledge or interest in cybersquatting, this information will be of importance to [...]