It is important to recognise who your domain name registrar is, and you should only refer to paperwork sent by that exact company.
If you are ever in doubt, contact your domain name registrar and they will confirm if any renewal sent is legitimate.
There are many companies sending out official looking letters preying on peoples lack of knowledge and ignorance. Many people see an official looking bill and just pay it without realising.
They get your details off the domain name “whois” registrar. This registrar has the contact details for each domain name, so they know the owners official address.
They then mail you out letters either for domain name renewals, or similar domain names that are available. Both are usually at over inflated prices.
Letters offering to register a similar domain name
They send you out a letter for a similar .com domain name available for the price of $249.00 for two years. People often do not read this letter properly and mistake the domain name for theirs as a renewal. People also do not realise you can register the same domain name much cheaper elsewhere.
Letters offering to renew your domain name
This is a scam, they send you out a renewal notice for your already registered domain name, and prey on peoples ignorance receiving an official looking letter.
It is important to ignore any letters in the mail, and make sure those in your company recognise who your domain name registrar is, and only deal with that specific company.
We have had clients receive these letters in the past, and have personally received them so it’s important to be aware.
For more information visit
https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/tag/domainnamerenewalscams