Network Solutions uses an unbranded domain name for at least a few important confirmation functions. When I need to confirm my email address at Network Solutions or approve a transfer away from Network Solutions, I am directed to different pages on the Registrar-Transfers.com website. In my opinion, Network Solutions should shift the functionality to its own NetworkSolutions.com website because customers are more familiar and comfortable with that domain name and using an unbranded domain name isn’t a good idea.
Every so often, I receive an email from Network Solutions alerting me that I need to confirm my email address. The subject has a strong call to action: “Alert: Keep Your Domain Active“. Within the email is a bit of account detail, but I see nothing private that could not be gleaned from Whois records. There is a button to click, and the underlying link is for NetworkSolutions.com.
The issue for me is the final landing page: Registrar-Transfers.com. I think Network Solutions should keep customers within the safer confines of its NetworkSolutions.com domain name and website.
The same thing goes for domain name transfers. Here’s text from a recent email from Network Solutions after starting a transfer to a different registrar:
“If you wish to cancel the transfer, please contact us before [redacted]. EDT by: send an email to registrar@networksolutions.com or go to our website https://www.registrar-transfers.com?h=[redacted]”
I am not a cybersecurity or other kind of security expert. I am a regular Internet user, and it regularly catches my eye when I see I have been moved to this off-brand domain name. Even though I know this is legitimately their domain name and website, it still causes me a brief moment of angst when I see Network Solutions branding on a non-Network Solutions domain name.
I do not know what kind of effort would be required to bring this under the Network Solutions domain name, but I think it would be a smart thing. Internet companies regularly have to warn customers to pay close attention to the domain name, so sending customers to non-branded domain names for critical confirmations seems a bit unwise.
agree. always makes me pause when I land on that page.
Good observation-
With NetSol – We are dealing with the original monopoly dinosaur legacy stuff.
Netsol seems to have engineered the process of transferring out so that it is as slow, scary, and confusing as possible, maximizing the chance you will make a mistake, forget, or change your mind. I wouldn’t be surprised if using a different domain name for some critical functions was a deliberate part of that.
Good summation . Netsol (and Enom) do everything they can to hinder the transfer out of domains. Every week I transfer domains out of Netsol and Enom. I’m still surprise how many people/companies keep their domains there.
They have no incentive to change this. All it does is cause confusion during the transfer-out process – which they’ve already made as difficult as possible.
all my stuff is out of enom now – but they use a different domain as well – cant even remember it.
Agree. Always causes me to pause.
Too confusing.
Thanks to phishers and scammers, people are trained to look at a domain name closely to establish trust. This definitely makes no sense unless they are allowing companies to white label their services. If a separate domain is needed, they could have used a third-level on their main domain and had better. This dilutes their brand and causes trust issues.
GREAT POST!
THANK YOU FOR SHARING…
also its not https the webpage
Just landed on your page after going through exactly the same thing, with the same “gulp” reaction. Was googling to see if there were any scam reports on this action (somewhat dumbly after I’d already clicked the “verify email” button!) and am relieved to see that it is genuine. Thanks.
Agree The verbiage is so lame ICANN requires?
https://domaininvesting.com/network-solutions-should-ditch-registrar-transfers-com/
Network Solutions is now required by ICANN (the regulating body for domain registrations) to have all domain owners confirm their email address contact information or their domains will be deactivated. If your domains are deactivated you will still own the domains but you will not be able to have live websites until you verify your contact information. If you wish to view the list of domains subject to verification, please login to Account Manager.
To ensure your domains remain active, please click the CONFIRM button below to confirm the email address we have for you is accurate.
I just confirmed my domain AFTER ensuring the sender was NetworkSolutions via SPF checks (OK, I use an app that tells me if the sender is who they claim to be).
Then I clicked the link and found myself on registrar-transfers.com and said “damn, I AM in the security business and I double checked!” I took the wise move of updating my PW and turning on 2FA.
But their email sounds like it was written by a scammer. Warning! Account will be locked!
Yep, confirming the email and then landing on http://www.registrar-transfers.com with encrypted babble in the url requires you to look up wtf http://www.registrar-transfers.com whois lookup. sNot real reassuring that it belongs to NetSol … just sends us on rants to do whining post about it all. thanks for listening.
Thanks for posting this, I also get a mail from NetworkSolutions saying: Alert: Keep your Domain Active.
At first I doubt about this email and I check that the url of the email was from Netsol ( cclinks.networksolutions.com ) after confirming the email I landed in the http://www.registrar-transfers.com which I did not like, after accesing the website I got this error: HTTP Status 500 – Internal Server Error
Because of that I search the web and find this site, I also think that network solutions need to use their main domain to avoid confusion.
Checking the ssl certificate I find no information about netsol.