I am sure it is exciting for some sellers to learn that their domain names were sold on one of the popular domain name sales marketplaces. According to GoDaddy’s Joe Styler, there is a phishing email making the rounds that tries to confuse the recipient into thinking their domain name was sold via GoDaddy.
Joe shared the following warning this morning on NamePros:
“We were made aware this morning by a few customers that they are getting emails claiming to be from GoDaddy that are saying that their valuable domains sold and that they should unlock them and move them to the buyer within 5 days. These emails are FAKE please be extra careful as they appear to come from auctions@godaddy.com but are actually not and they also look like our email templates but the wording is inconsistent with what we would send.
We never ask you to move domains to a buyer within 5 days. I will include the full body of the email below and the subject line so you can be aware and on the lookout. Always feel free to check your “sold” section in your auctions account to confirm a sale and also to reach out to our support if you have any concerns. It is always best to be safe by double checking and we are happy to help.”
In his NamePros post, Joe shared an example of the email that was sent.
Domain theft is a major issue, and domain name owners falling prey to phishing emails is one of the primary culprits for domain theft. Phishing campaigns have targeted domain name owners who use GoDaddy, eNom, Register.com, and other domain name registrars.
The phishing email that Joe mentioned this morning is pretty novel, and sometimes a new type of unexpected email can cause a vigilant domain owner to accidentally become a victim. Always be mindful of phishing when you receive an unfamiliar email that claims to be from a domain registrar or another entity that requires EPP / authorization codes. Call your registrar or account representative to confirm the veracity of an email if you are unsure.
Thanks to Joe for sharing this and for keeping us aware of these theft attempts.