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Is this a scam?

by Steadyon
15 replies
Hi,

I wondered if anyone else had received an offer to buy one of their domains off them, similar to the ones I received today.

So far it's not your usual "Let's get it appraised and I will pay you what it is worth" type of emails where you end up paying appraisal fees and getting nothing in return.

This seems more genuine, but I am suspicious of the name and email address and it may end up leading to the scenario above anyway.

(Incidentally, I'm not interested in selling it).

Here's the first email I received earlier today:

---------------
Dear Mr. XXXX,
My name is Ian and I am trying to start a new company.
I am very interested in your domain.
I was wondering if you would be willing to sell it for 1500 dollars
as that is what I am looking to pay for a new website.
Please let me know what you think. Thanks.

Ian
---------------

I haven't replied anyway and just now I get this email:


---------------
Mr XXXX,

I did some research on your domain and I found out that you wanted substantially more for this domain than I offered. I also found out it was worth more. I can do the transaction today if you will accept my offer of 10,000 USD through paypal. But, I do need a response today. Thanks and I apologize for the first email.

Ian
---------------


(I haven't developed the site yet and I did cheekily say on the homepage that the domain was for sale for $10,000. I did this a couple of years ago in case I got some interest. Now I don't need to sell it. It's a great domain name and is worth a lot more if the site is developed etc... But it's not for sale. Other projects have meant we haven't gotten round to this yet, bla bla bla.)

I just wondered if anyone else has ever had a similar "offer/scam" attempt.

Incidentally, I have only ever sold domains via an escrow service anyway and he is suggesting paypal, which is obviously dodgy. Probably would get their money back or money from my account somehow.

He also sent the email from a hotmail account.

I also wanted to share this in case a scam is ever attempted like this on others on the forum.

So does anyone else think this is a scam and if so, know what they are up to?
#scam
  • Profile picture of the author AndyBlackSEO
    Scam... stay clear!
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  • Profile picture of the author Teresa Coppes
    I'm not sure how this would be a scam aside from the paypal mention as I have done this before. There was a domain I was interested in and I contacted the owner about selling. The big flag for me though was the huge price jump - they offer $1500 first and then come back and say ok it's $10K. No bargaining or anything. If you choose to answer just simply state the domain is no longer for sale. Short and simple.
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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Ames
    They are probably baiting you to get the domain appraised for which they earn a fee. There is most likely no interest in actually buying the domain. Try it, send them an email back saying that you agree to the $10,000. I'll bet you get an email back with something like : Before we proceed we would like you to have your domain appraised.. yada yada.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    Or...

    Here's a thread from about one week ago, it may shed more light on it...

    http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...main-scam.html

    It may not be the exact same pitch, but my guess is that the end result is the same.

    All the best,
    Michael
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    "Ich bin en fuego!"
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    • Profile picture of the author Jackie Tulos
      Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

      Or...

      Here's a thread from about one week ago, it may shed more light on it...

      warriorforum.com/main-internet-marketing-discussion-forum/65984-aware-domain-scam.html

      It may not be the exact same pitch, but my guess is that the end result is the same.

      All the best,
      Michael
      Thanks for this post. I never have seen this before.
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      Jackie Tulos
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  • Profile picture of the author JackKnight555
    I am getting more and more of these by way of domain registration via godaddy... I guess. Didn't happen until recently and now I get a spam message almost everyday. and i do use private reg.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steadyon
    If this is a scam, how does one decide when it isn't?

    I suppose when the money is in one's bank account.

    Interestingly, each month I must send out one or two email requests to domain name owners asking whether they would be interested in selling.

    I've never had a reply to this kind of email. Perhaps they thing my request isn't for real, or maybe they weren't interested in selling either.

    Another example of a few a**holes spoiling things for everyone else.

    If only they didn't think I was a scammer, perhaps we could have done some business.

    ( The only place I've successfully bought second hand domains is via the various auctions. )
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  • Profile picture of the author wearehere
    I think it is really scam.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    The mention of Paypal is a red flag for me for such a large transaction. My guess is he is waiting for your response to respond back with the appraisal pitch ... either that or he may think he can rip it off via the Paypal dispute thing.
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  • Profile picture of the author ConnectEntInc
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author edhan
      I will tell him that my site is listed in SEDO and transaction can be done using their services. So at least this will help to ensure that the transaction will be fair to you and avoid being scammed. If he is willing to make the purchase through SEDO, I believe it will be real. Otherwise stay away from this or you may lose your domain name.
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  • Profile picture of the author Yadira Barbosa
    A scam, remember PayPal don't have buyer protection in digital delivery items and a domain its digital, they can take your domain and say they don't approve that payment or just make a claim and PayPal return the money to them.
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  • Profile picture of the author bounty_hunt3r
    This scam is around for awhile now
    you have to be careful
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  • Profile picture of the author Rob Whisonant
    I sell sites all the time. If the buyer wants an appraisal I let them know that they can pay for any appraisals they want.

    I also only sell domains by using escrow.com or sedo.

    Never try to handle a domain sale on your own. You will most likely come up with the short end of the stick.

    Re's
    Rob Whisonant
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  • Profile picture of the author MeTellYou
    if you are going to go for it, make sure that you tell the guy that you are going to hold onto the dough made for about five days after he pays. This way he doesn't have a means to contact PayPal and tell them that the payment was unauthorized. Take the money, hold on to it for a few days, then push the domain.

    Sebastian
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  • Profile picture of the author richard515680
    Why not ask for references or an accountant's certificate that he is reputable and has the money? Otherwise ignore it - it's probably a scam. If he was genuine he would not be using PayPal or a hotmail address
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