... the fact is that auDA provides recourse of *last* resort before going to
statutory authority.  Resellers and registrars therefore have an obligation
to look after their clients in such matters.

Of course auDA needs to publish alerts, but such doesn't absolve resellers
and registrars from their own responsibility.

Which reminds me - was the previous consumer alert that auDA published also
sent to registrants?  If only the former, then I contend that it would have
failed to reach those most effected.  In my experience, published alerts
tend to reach only those readers with an interest in IT - the majority of
registrants are interested in business issues.

Ron Stark

-----Original Message-----
From: Rod Keys [mailto:rod§ddns.com.au]
Sent: Friday, 19 April 2002 9:59 AM
To: dns§lists.auda.org.au
Cc: Chris Disspain
Subject: Re: [DNS] Sneaky Domain Renewal Notices


The whole point is to have the admin contacts correct so that auda could
publish warnings to registrants.
This shouldn't be for registrars or resellers to use but for Auda to send
out qualified mass alerts.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Stark" <ronstark&#167;businesspark.com.au>
To: <dns&#167;lists.auda.org.au>
Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 9:50 AM
Subject: RE: [DNS] Sneaky Domain Renewal Notices


> This raises an important point - does the auDA site have a prominent
> "Complaints" button thereon, to which we can publish links in any alerts
we
> want to send out?
>
> Ron Stark
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: AUSCITY [mailto:auscity&#167;auscity.com.au]
> Sent: Friday, 19 April 2002 9:38 AM
> To: dns&#167;lists.auda.org.au
> Subject: [DNS] Sneaky Domain Renewal Notices
>
>
> I received the following email from our own .com/.net/.org Registrar based
> in the US this morning.  Interesting reading .........
>
>
> Warning! Be Careful with Sneaky Domain Renewal Notices
>
> A number of customers have reported to directNIC that their domains
> disappeared from their directNIC account after they responded to renewal
> notices by snail mail. It turns out that they actually transferred the
> domain to another registrar who had sent them a renewal notice by mail and
> urged them to renew the domain immediately. Without knowing that these
> notices were not from directNIC, these unsuspecting users transferred
their
> domains away from directNIC, paid a much higher price, lost their virtual
> domains, erased their email forwarding rules and POP3 accounts, and
> consequently took their websites offline.
>
> To see several of these deceptive expiration notices, visit
> http://notice.reference.directnic.com
>
> For the record, directNIC relies almost solely on email to contact
> customers and does not solicit business through the U.S. mail. If you
> receive notices in the mail regarding renewing your directNIC-registered
> domain names, be sure to read them carefully and consult with directNIC
> before you make any decisions.
>
> Several registrars are mining WHOIS data and sending deceptive and
> predatory expiration notices to owners of domains that are not registered
> with them. They have one common purpose: To steal domains from their
> competitors without lowering their price or improving their service and
> products. A few that have participated in this practice include Domain
> Registry of America, Network Solutions and Register.com, among others.
>
> We believe competition should be fair, legal, and ethical. directNIC has
> attracted many customers by constantly improving its website and user
> interface, adding new services, launching new products, listening and
> responding to customer feedback, and protecting customers against hackers
> and unethical solicitors. In order to better protect your domains and our
> business, we invite you to join our efforts. If you have received the
> mentioned paper-based renewal notices from other registrars, please report
> this activity to ICANN, the governing body of the domain registration
> industry.
>
> The link to file a complaint is
> http://www.internic.net/cgi/registrars/problem-report.cgi
>
> Sincerely,
>
> directNIC.com
>
> For Your Information:
>
> 1. Advisory Concerning Deceptive Notices from "XChange Dispute Resolution"
> ICANN has received reports of domain-name registrants receiving "Domain
> Dispute Notification" mailings from an entity identifying itself as
> "Xchange Dispute Resolution." The mailings falsely state that XChange is
an
> "ICANN authorized arbitrator" and that the registrant must mail in a
> "security deposit fee" to defend "ownership of the domain name."
>
> The link to the article is
> http://www.icann.org/announcements/advisory-08apr02.htm
>
> 2. Violation to the Federal Mail Guidelines:
>
> The official USPS regulations for mail "that reasonably could be
considered
> a bill, invoice, or statement of account due, but is in fact a
solicitation
> for an order":
>
>  http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm/c031.htm
>
> The requirement is that the following phrase must appear in at least
thirty
> point capital letters on the face of the notice: "THIS IS NOT A BILL. THIS
> IS A SOLICITATION. YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO PAY THE AMOUNT STATED
> ABOVE UNLESS YOU ACCEPT THIS OFFER."
>
>  Here is a helpful example picture of what it should look like:
>  http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm/c031.htm#Rar16021
>
> The VeriSign messages clearly violate this requirement, and come under the
> mail fraud category.  You can complain to your local Postal Inspectors, or
> file your complaint online at:
> http://www.usps.com/websites/depart/inspect/fraud/MailFraudComplaint.htm
>
> Regards,
> Chas Cleland
>
> Any views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily
> representative of Metropolis CBD Pty Ltd or its subsidiaries AUSCITY.COM
and
> BusinessProfiles - Auscity.
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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