Recently I had a domain name which was due for renewal in a couple of months.  My domain registrar automatically emails me before the renewal falls due so I can pay the fee, renew the name and not lose ownership.

Domain Name Renewal

This year I received emails from two different sources, neither of which came from my registrar, yet both were reminders to renew the domain name. The fee for renewal was ridiculously high.

I know these emails were IP scams because I have the luxury of time to read and assess my emails. But what happens at your NFP? It’s not unusual for your administrative people to be working flat out.  It’s also not unusual that there might not be a dedicated person to monitor and manage your IP needs.

These emails look official and they contain all the information the real invoice would hold, so unless you pay attention, it’s easy just to put the invoice into a pile to go for approval, and forget about it. The payment is OK’d and the invoice is paid. And no, your domain name is not renewed.

Overseas Domain Names

You might also receive notification that your domain name is now available in specific countries, usually in Asia, and recommendation to purchase the name before someone else does, so you can protect your IP.

This may or may not be regarded as a scam because in some cases, the domain name is actually registered to you, but ask yourself this question. How important is it that your organisation is registered in that country? Will it help your work?  Do you have a trademark there that you need to protect?  In most cases, the answer is no, so there is no need to take action.

Trademark Renewal

In a similar way to the domain name renewal, you may receive an invoice from someone other than IP Australia reminding you to renew the name. This third party charges far more than the IP Australia fee so they make a big profit on the transaction. Yes, your trademark will be renewed, but you will be out of pocket.

These scams are targeted at busy NFPs in the hope that the invoices will slip through the system and be paid by someone who doesn’t know any better or who hasn’t had time to check them out.

What systems do you have in place to protect your IP and to assess the accuracy of your invoices before you pay them?