The PhoneBoy Blog » spam

Watch for Domain Scammers like ZipDomains

PhoneBoy — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:59:12 +0000

Several years ago, I purchased a domain for our family. Upon doing the prerequisite search, we ultimately settled on a .net name. Not our first choice, but it was what was available.

On 1 January, I got an email from a company called Zip Domains on my admin email address:

Our company specializes in acquiring expired domain names to help individuals and businesses protect their brand online.

The domain name XXXXXX.COM is expired and will become available soon.

We noticed that you own XXXXXX.NET and felt that you may be interested in acquiring the .COM version of your existing domain name.

We can assist in trying to acquire the domain name, as there are likely many interested parties competing for it.

There are no upfront costs, and the fee if we are successful is only $199 USD.

If you are interested, please let us know by January 3 at the latest.

Sorry, but someone tried to sell me the domain earlier in the year for less than that. Think I’m going to pay $199 to some company that spammed me? Fat chance!

At that point, I checked the whois registry and found the domain was about to be removed from DNS, just like they said. I figured, I’ll wait a few days for it to be removed from the whois registry and try to purchase it through 1&1.

On the 9th, I got another email from Zip Domains telling me they had secured the rights to the domain and I could purchase it from them for only $99!

Our company specializes in acquiring expired domain names to help individuals and businesses protect their brand online.

The domain name XXXXXX.COM expired recently and we were able to secure it.

We noticed the you own XXXXXX.COM and felt that you may be interested in acquiring the .COM version of your existing domain name.

It is available for a one-time fee of only $99.00 USD.

To purchase or learn more, please visit http://zipdomains.com/buy.php?domain=xxxxxx.com

While the domain was still showing as being deleted in whois, when I checked the next day, it was available. I went into my domain control panel on 1&1 and ordered the .com domain for $8.99, saving me over 1000% what Zip Domains wanted to charge!

I thank Zip Domains for making me aware of the expired domain. However, there was zero chance I was going to pay above the typical registration cost for a domain, particularly for my family where the value of having “the right” domain is relatively low.

I have to wonder how many people fall for zipdomains “scam,” buying a domain they could have had for the nominal cost if they waited a few days. It’s not clear to me ZipDomains actually does anything to secure a domain name. The domain was either marked as “being deleted” or “not present” in whois when Zip Domains told me they had secured it for my purchase, so I question their legitimacy. (If someone from Zip Domains wants to rebut my statements, leave a comment below)

In short, beware of companies that are trying to scare you into buying a domain from them or send you “renewal” notices in the postal mail–that’s my favorite one.

Comments

11 January 2009, Jeff Mills writes: Same thing happened to me for a domain name that I wanted. First offer was for $199, then couple days later... for $99. So I googled the company name. found your blog post, called up Godaddy and was able to buy it regular price for $9.99. Thanks for helping me save a big bundle on a domain name that I always wanted. Great post! Jeff Mills http://canadamarketingsummit.com
11 January 2009, Tim writes: I had pretty much the exact same experience with these clowns. These guys and the people who send me snail mail telling me that I should renew my domains through them with a cleverly masked registrar transfer agreement should all be stoned. Stoned in the bad way, not the good way. :)
14 January 2009, Leo writes: Same thing happened to me. I was able to buy the domain for $9.99 through GoDaddy. Thanks Zip, btw, for letting me know!
29 January 2009, Gene Fields writes: Same here. They sent me an email, so, I checked it out and purchased for 1000% less than what they wanted. Now, they are sending me spoof emails to an average of 100/minute. Right now I am at 2,376 and still going. I contacted the hosting company to see what can be done...looking forward to fun times. Retrieving DNS records for ns2.pldihosting.net... DNS servers ns2.pldihosting.net [64.250.192.92] ns3.pldihosting.net [64.250.192.37] Answer records ns2.pldihosting.net 1 MX preference: 0 exchange: ns2.pldihosting.net 14400s ns2.pldihosting.net 1 SOA server: ns3.pldihosting.net email: sysop@pldi.net serial: 2009011601 refresh: 86400 retry: 7200 expire: 3600000 minimum ttl: 86400 86400s ns2.pldihosting.net 1 NS ns3.pldihosting.net 86400s ns2.pldihosting.net 1 NS ns2.pldihosting.net 86400s ns2.pldihosting.net 1 A 64.250.192.92 14400s Authority records Additional records ns2.pldihosting.net 1 A 64.250.192.92 14400s ns3.pldihosting.net 1 A 64.250.192.37 14400s
29 January 2009, Tim writes: Interesting that they're spamming you. What is the content of the mail exactly? Are they trying to get you to buy the domain you already own or is it something else entirely?
29 January 2009, PhoneBoy writes: They are trying to get me to buy the domain through them using scare tactics. Fortunately, I know how things work and just bought it through my normal registrar.
7 February 2009, Julieanne writes: Me too! First attempt was to sell me the .com for $997, how amusing! Then Zip offered to me for $99. I found your post after Googling 'Zip Domains'. I discovered that my .com was available through my usual host for £9, so THANK YOU very much, you made my day!
25 March 2009, Blippitt writes: articles by Zemanta Auction.com: Sold for $2.5 Million? ( blippitt.com ) NameCheap Launches Another Domain Name Giveaway Using Microblogging Tool Twitter ( seomashup.blogspot.com ) Domain Registration Privacy Protection - Do You Need It? ( domainmacher.com )Watch for Domain Scammers like ZipDomains( phoneboy.com ) Related Posts: Win $1,000 with Domain Madness Contest BachelorsDegree.com Sells for $62,500 Toys.com Sale Finally Approved Domaining: FlatRate.de Sells for $200,000 Excellent Domain Flipping Guide Related Items: Maki

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Spam Is Free Speech–Until It Enters My Server

PhoneBoy — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:01:02 +0000

There’s an article on Techdirt about how a spammer was convicted for violating Virgina’s Anti-Spamming Law. The low-life tried to get the conviction overturned because their anti-spam law is unconstitutional, ostensibly a violation of his first amendment rights.

I’m all for the First Amendment and the right to free speech. It’s an important right too few Americans take advantage of. Spam, although it is something I generally disagree with, is free speech. If you want to post that stuff on your web site or on flyers in public places, be my guest.

However, your right to free speech does not extend to my home or my personal space. You can’t come in my house and say whatever you want. Nor can you do the same thing on anyone else’s private property.

Spam is exactly that. It comes into my “property” (in this case, my email inbox) and infringes upon my ability to effectively use it, thus falling under trespass to chattels laws.

photo credit: wiennat

Comments

8 April 2008, I got Spam?! - Main page - Your daily source of spam and virus protection. - malware, virus, worms, spam, anti-spam, CAN-SPAM, spammer, unsolicited e-mail writes: a spammer was convicted for violating Virgina's Anti-Spamming Law. Jeremy Jaynes, the spammer in question, tried to get the conviction overturned because their anti-spam law is unconstitutional. The Virginia Supreme Court upheld the verdict.While spam could be argued as free speech, even free speech has it's limits. You can't yell FIRE in a crowded theatre, and you can't come into my house and spew your hate speech. Photo © wiennat See full article. Related Entries:

PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 3 March 2008

PhoneBoy — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 08:41:49 +0000

It looks like I will be going to VON.x in San Jose this year! Well really, I’m just going to be in the Bay Area for work, but I’ll escape down to San Jose for an afternoon. Looking forward to meeting so many of the people I’ve met in the VoIP community over the years!

Meanwhile, this week’s blog fodder includes:

Are Corporations Perpetuating Phishing Scams? (From The VoIP Weblog)
Corporations Perpetuating Phishing Scams? (From IGotSpam?!)
Share Online 3.0 and Social Networking (From The Convergence Zone)
Gizmo5 Now Available On Windows, Nokia Tablets (From The VoIP Weblog)
Native Skype On Symbian Finally Coming? (From The VoIP Weblog)
Join Free Conference Call From Your Computer (From The VoIP Weblog)
Highrise + Lipp == ??? (From The VoIP Weblog)
Keep Your Bluetooth Off! (From IGotSpam?!)
Bluejacking And Your Mobile Phone (From The Gadgets Weblog)

PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 20 January 2008

PhoneBoy — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 08:01:39 +0000

This week I had an excuse for not being in the groove: I got strep throat again. Of course, I am recovering, but it does put a cramp in my flow when the simple act of sleeping is a challenge. However, I did manage to put out some nice posts on phoneboy.com this week, if I do say so myself.

Meanwhile, here’s what got posted elsewhere:

Use your Windows Mobile Device As A WiFi Access Point (From The Gadgets Weblog)
SightSpeed’s Top 10 Things To Do With Your New Webcam (From The VoIP Weblog)
CTIA To US FCC: We’re #1! (From The Mobile Technology Weblog)
Skype: Multiparty Video: Yes, Voice Interoperability: No (From The VoIP Weblog)
Wireless Service Indonesia Compared To The U.S. (From The Mobile Technology Weblog)
Ribbit: What Problem Was This The Solution For? (From The VoIP Weblog)
Private Phone Shutting Down Service (From The VoIP Weblog)
911 Not A Panacea (From The VoIP Weblog)
Pay Per Use Or Minute Bundles? (From The Mobile Technology Weblog)
We Want More Porn! (From IGotSpam?)
Get To A 90% Charge In 5 Minutes! (From The Gadgets Weblog)

We Want More Porn!

PhoneBoy — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 07:55:57 +0000

I don’t think this song needs any introduction.

WPvideo 1.10

Direct link to video

Via IGotSpam?!

Comments

25 January 2008, 127.0.0.1 writes: "I want more porn"... Met dank aan Phoneboy wil ik graag met jullie delen: ...

PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 23 December 2007

PhoneBoy — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 08:01:08 +0000

Seems like I’ve spent a lot of time writing blog posts this week. However, most of the posts I wrote this week are actually for this coming week on VoIP Weblog where I take on the year in VoIP over the course of several posts. These posts are more time-consuming to put together than I thought, but it spans several posts. Good for this upcoming week where I don’t expect a lot happening in the world of VoIP.

Here’s this week’s list of posts I made in the blogosphere:

Space Invaders Alarm Clock (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Michael Robertson Renaming SIPphone To Gizmo5 (From The VoIP Weblog)
VON Coalition Europe Takes On EU Telecom Policy (From The VoIP Weblog)
Spend $10 With Rebtel, Get $30 (From The VoIP Weblog)
Why VoSKY Won’t Cut It In The Enterprise (From The VoIP Weblog)
(ISC)2 eSymposium: Your Email Inbox: Gateway To Danger (From I Got Spam?!)
eComm2008: Emerging Communications Conference (From The VoIP Weblog)
SightSpeed Compatible With Leadtek IP Cameras (From The VoIP Weblog)
SightSpeed’s 10 Tips For Video Chat (From The VoIP Weblog)
STFU: Fly Your School Colors (From The Gadgets Weblog)

Comments

23 December 2007, daniegb123 » PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 23 December 2007 writes: [...] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptSeems like I’ve spent a lot of time writing blog posts this week. However, most of the posts I wrote this week are actually for this coming week on VoIP Weblog where I take on the year in VoIP over the course of several posts. … [...]
31 December 2007, Jaiku | Dameon Welch-Abernathy writes: [...] PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 23 December 2007 and 14 more [...]

PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 16 December 2007

PhoneBoy — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 08:01:38 +0000

Well, so much for this list being shorter. That happens when you see topical gadgets and good cross-promotion opportunities.

Aside from The Mobile Technology Weblog being new to my weekly roundup, there’s also one new blog on the list this week I hadn’t talked about previously: Businesspundit. Creative Weblogging asked me to do a few posts over there over the next several weeks to promote some of the business blogs in CW’s network. I’m not used to writing about business per-se, so it’s going to be a challenge, albeit temporary.

With all my blathering out of the way, here’s this week’s list of posts I made in the blogosphere:

Comments

16 December 2007, New Gadgets | PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 16 December 2007 writes: [...] Original post by PhoneBoy [...]

PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 9 December 2007

PhoneBoy — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 08:01:24 +0000

This will, hopefully, be the last time in a while that this list is so long. With the changes in my responsibilities with Creative Weblogging, I should be blogging a little less and promoting a little more. Maybe I can find the energy to do a post on my S60 Blog, which I haven’t blogged on in a while.

Meanwhile, here’s this week’s lineup of posts:

Charge Your Mobile Phone From Your Backpack (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Skype Beta for Mac OS X 2.7.0.195 (From The VoIP Weblog)
TV Tuner For Your Nintendo DS (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Roaming On The Cheap In The US (From The VoIP Weblog)
Yoggie Gatekeeper Pro (From The Gadgets Weblog)
SIP, RFC4733, RFC2833, and You (From The VoIP Weblog)
Konami 12-in-1 Arcade Game (From The Gadgets Weblog)
PBX In A Flash! (From The VoIP Weblog)
Hide The Banana (From The Gadgets Weblog)
SoliCall PBXMate Reduces Background Noise On VoIP Calls (From The VoIP Weblog)
Using Your Mobile Phone To Delete Spam (From I Got Spam?!)
It’s Woot-Off Time Again (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Forget Lasik, Get Eye Power! (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Bubble Wrap Goes Everywhere! (From The Gadgets Weblog)

Blog Changes For PhoneBoy

PhoneBoy — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 19:59:58 +0000

My relationship with Creative Weblogging has changed a bit. The long and the short of it that I will be doing a little less blogging and a bit more promoting of a few of their blogs.

I will continue to blog on VoIP Weblog as I have been. I will still blog on Gadgets Weblog, but only occasionally. I will also do the occasional post for I Got Spam. However, I will be “promoting” Gadgets Weblog as well as The Mobile Technology Weblog. Not necessarily here, but other places (e.g. the social bookmarking sites, other blogs, etc).

It’s a bit of a different role for me, for sure. I’m sure the skills I will learn will be helpful in promoting the stuff I do on phoneboy.com.

Comments

7 December 2007, Ricky writes: Congrats, dude! That sounds really cool, and something that will likely keep you on your toes and challenge you a bit, which is good.
9 December 2007, PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 9 December 2007 writes: [...] will, hopefully, be the last time in a while that this list is so long. With the changes in my responsibilities with Creative Weblogging, I should be blogging a little less and promoting a little more. Maybe I can find the energy to do [...]
14 December 2007, Nick writes: That's sounds interesting. Good luck with that!

PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 18 November 2007

PhoneBoy — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 08:55:30 +0000

Man, oh man, I wrote a lot of stuff this week. Let’s get straight on with it:

Charge Your iPod With An Onion And Gatorage (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Use Your Nokia N95 As A Lightsaber (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Defensio Launches Comment Spam Filtering Service (From I Got Spam?!)
Skype 2.0 For Linux Adds Video (From The VoIP Weblog)
Plastic As Strong As Steel? (From The Gadgets Weblog)
MAXroam Offering Free Inbound Numbers In More Places (From The VoIP Weblog)
Feel Getting Pwned By A n00b (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Ways To Deal With Email Spam (From I Got Spam?!)
Skype For Linux and iSight Camera Is No Go (From The VoIP Weblog)
20 Gigabyte Wireless? (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Numbr Expanding Their Service? (From The VoIP Weblog)
Jangl and JAJAH Bringing Voice 2.0 To The Masses (From The VoIP Weblog)
Windup Phone Charger Doesn’t Work (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Phishing Without Clicking? (From I Got Spam?!)
Cubic Mobile, a.k.a. Pirelli DP-L10 (From The VoIP Weblog)
Yak4Ever No Longer Yakking (From The VoIP Weblog)
Want A Solio For 20% Off? (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Cubic Mobile, a.k.a. Pirelli DP-L10 (From The Gadgets Weblog) — yes, I did the post both places
Juketower: Singing In The Shower Goes High-Tech (From The Gadgets Weblog)

Comments

18 November 2007, Nokia N95 » Blog Archive » PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 18 November 2007 writes: [...] Read the rest of this great post here [...]
18 November 2007, depotsq » Blog Archive » PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 18 November 2007 writes: [...] here for [...]

PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 11 November 2007

PhoneBoy — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 08:01:44 +0000

This was one of those weeks were I felt “needed”–a lot. It made for a stressful week. Ended the work week on a high note, though, which is always a bonus.

Meanwhile, here’s this week’s rundown of what I’ve written:

Comments

11 November 2007, PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 11 November 2007 writes: [...] amazing2 wrote an interesting post today on [...]

PhoneBoy’s Week That Was 4 November 2007

PhoneBoy — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 07:01:54 +0000

This old intermission from a Drive In movie theater pretty much sums up my opinion on Daylight Saving Time (yes, it’s that time again in the US).

WPvideo 1.10

Direct link to video

Meanwhile, here’s this week’s rundown of what I’ve written:

Should Your Next Mobile Be WiFi Enabled? (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Voxalot Launches Premium Service And Adds Advanced Calling Features (From The VoIP Weblog)
SightSpeed Offers Free Service To Southern California Fire Victims (From The VoIP Weblog)
The VPX System: One Battery To Rule Them All (From The Gadgets Weblog)
SightSpeed Means Business (From The VoIP Weblog)
Rock Paper Scissors…With A Robot? (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Vinyl Making A Comeback? (From The Gadgets Weblog)
onSIP: A Hosted PBX For Small Business (From The VoIP Weblog)
USB Turntable (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Vonage Service Can Be Hacked (From The VoIP Weblog)
Solar Lasers: Mmm, Toasty! (From The Gadgets Weblog)
FCC Says VoIP Carriers Must Offer Local Number Portability (From The VoIP Weblog)
Google Explains Gmail’s Spam Filters (From I got Spam?!)
CSIRO and IEEE In Conflict Over 802.11n Patents (From The Gadgets Weblog)
Weird Comment Spam? (From I got Spam?!)
New Solar Panels Cheaper, Easier To Install (From The Gadgets Weblog)

The PhoneBoy Blog » spam

Watch for Domain Scammers like ZipDomains

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