Domain Registry of America

Every few weeks, we'll have a customer present us with a "bill" from a company called Domain Registry of America.  These "bills" aren't really bills, because they are specifically sent to people who aren't customers!  It's an attempt to get customers to transfer their domain name to DRA.  The problem is that they're deceptive in that effort.

Register.com got an injunction against DRA in 2002.  The judge in that case noted that the principals of the company had previously been convicted of other unlawful activities and noted that their tactics were "neither accidental nor innocuous, but calculated and intended to confuse and mislead consumers."

There is even a name for this sort of practice - domain slamming, much like the practice of phone companies switching you to their service without the consumer even understanding what they've agreed to.

There is a picture of their fake "bills" here.  If you get one, the best thing you can do is throw it away!

Published Tuesday, April 04, 2006 1:44 PM by jdevries

Comments

# re: Domain Registry of America

Tuesday, April 04, 2006 2:15 PM by jgood
I hate those things... they freaking annoy me.

# re: Domain Registry of America

Wednesday, July 05, 2006 5:06 PM by elemke
we get one of those about everyother month. really annoying

# re: Domain Registry of America

Tuesday, July 18, 2006 8:35 PM by Charles Williams
DROA ripped me off for $100.00 .
I was unaware of the scam and sent them my credit card information. The swiped my card the first time and promised to send me a email with instructions. No email came. But a second swipe on my credit card did come. It was denied because my balance was too low. The next two days my balance was brought up and low and behold DROA swiped it again......netting $100.00 from a agreed price of $50.00. I rushed to the bank and liquidated all my money to a zero balance. It will stay zero until this matter has been resolved through mastercard.
I expect they will attempt to get more monies from the card if there is any money in the account. They have demonstrated that they are not only con artist but credit card thieves as well.

# re: Domain Registry of America

Tuesday, August 22, 2006 4:50 PM by LM
I was duped by this "bill" two years ago and didn't realize what had happened until now.  I had renewed for two years and the expiration was in May of 2006.  I tried to renew through them before the expiration date but they wouldn't let me.  After repeated attempts to contact them through email and snail mail I got no response what so ever.  My domain expired.  I figured I could transfer the domain at that point so I started the process, paid my fees (through another registrar) and received no responses and no confirmation of the requests at all, not through any of my contact numbers or email addresses I profided to droa.com.
Come July I find out that my domain name was sold to someone in Australia who is "willing" to sell it back to me for $75,000.00 (see URL).
Far more going on with droa.com then just the initial "bill" scam.

# re: Domain Registry of America

Wednesday, August 30, 2006 4:42 AM by Bob Eilers
I had supposedly renewed my AmericanShoppes.com for three years thru Domain Registry of America starting in January 2006 and now found out the name was re-issued to another person by Register.com. I have emailed all parties concerned on 08/29/06. Will see what happens and if not rectified will get a lawyer.AmShoppes@comcast.net  

# re: Domain Registry of America

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 10:35 AM by Sheila Siler
I have received this bill plus another one from listingcorp.  If this is so well known, I can't understand why they haven't been shut down yet.  I'm glad this site was here so I could confirm the bill was bogus.

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