Domain Name Scams And How To Avoid Them

Your domain name (Eg.   MyCompany.com) is vitally important to you and your business so you need to own, control and protect it.

Who really owns your domain name?
Always ensure your domain name is registered with 'you' stated as the owner - Some bad hosting companies register your domain name in their name, so if you decide in the future you want to change to another hosting company, you find that your domain name is held hostage and won't be released unless you pay a big fee to your host.   This scam is less common these days but take care.

Domain name protection
If your web hosting company also has control over your domain name then what happens if your host goes broke or just deteriorates in service level?  You could find you can't get control of your domain but this could be prevented by buying your domain name through a separate company from your web hosting provider.  If your host goes broke, you just change a few numbers with your domain name register company to point your domain name to a new hosting company and within a few hours your web site is back in action on a new host.

Early renewal
You buy your domain name for a year (or several years) but some bad hosts send you very very early reminders to renew your domain with them.

Automatic renewal
I got caught with this one although it can't be called a scam because when you buy your domain, the company will show you the terms/ conditions/ contract and in this small print it will state that the domain will be automatically re-registered for you at the end of the registration period.  Most of us either haven't read the small print too closely or we forget all about the 'automatic' bit until we find an email invoice showing that we just bought another year.  This is not so useful if you don't want to keep the domain.  A good company will at least remind you that your domain is about to expire and give you the option of not re-registering.  Some web hosts also do automatic renewal so beware.

Controlling Your Domain
If you use someone to buy your domain and build your website, then it is essential that you take control of the domain name once they have setup your website.  You should buy the domain and web hosting.  Know which domain registry company you use and find out the 'UserName' and password.  It would be best to change the password once the website is operational so that the person who built your website is no longer in control.

Beware of the 'one man band' business that builds websites.  While many of them offer a high level of service, what happens if they are ill or move away or just stop their business?  I've come across several business owners that have no control over their domain,email accounts or web hosting and can no longer find or contact the person who built their website and set it up.