This is a PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT brought to you by, Beyond The Trend: A Marketing Agency
Every day, business owners around the world receive an email saying….
”URGENT: Action Needed! Your domain name is about to expire.”
Sadly, many of these emails are NOT friendly reminders from your trusted domain host...but SCAMS!
“Domain slamming” is not a new scam, but it IS reaching a fever peak here in 2021 as more and more hackers try to take advantage of the digital revolution caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hackers are betting on you being too busy, or too concerned about losing your domain to take time to look closely, but if you do, there should be the term “transfer” in the suspicious email.
I’m Captain Morgen, and I’m here to help.
Watch our VIDEO, or just keep reading for tips to stay safe!
If you receive a suspicious email, STOP! Before you do anything else, locate your domain name where it is currently living. There are 2 easy ways to do this.
Option 1: Locate your domain host in your email
Search your inbox for “Domain Name” and look for a confirmation email or receipt from the purchase of your domain name.
This will tell you the name of the company who is hosting your domain, and may include a link taking you directly to your account login.
Common domain hosts are:
Blue Host
Site Ground
Go Daddy
WP Engine
Wix
Host Gator
Then all you need to do is remember your password - or reset it!
Option 2: Ask for help
Forward the questionable email to your trusted web manager, site builder, or marketing group. If they set up your domain name or website, or have access to your records, they should be able to quickly tell you if you need to do anything to protect your domain, or simply mark the email as “phishing” and move on.
Your actual domain registrar will always give you time to go check on your domain account before you renew. And if your account is NOT set to auto-renew, you will usually get several emails reminding you to take care of it, with a clickable link to log into your account.
We hope this helps you to not panic the next time you receive an email you’re unsure about. For more information on domain slamming, please see the links below.
This is Captain Morgen wishing you smooth sailing and lots of sales!