Does your web hosting company own your domain name?
Imagine becoming the next milliion dollar dot com only to find out you don't own the company.
An important part of creating an Internet business is registering a domain name and finding a reliable hosting company. You've spent days, even months coming up with a domain name that's catchy, and creative. You find a hosting company offering unbelieveably cheap turnkey web presence solutions - web hosting (less than 5.00 per month), free web page design, free search engine submission and registers your domain name for little or nothing. How can they offer this great deal? Well, hidden in hosting agreement legalese, you may have agreed to give away the domain name. That's right, you slave to build your sites hits, but have essentially given away the store because your not the registered owner of your domain name.
Domain names are registered with InterNIC, the authority that manages domain names records. The InterNIC maintains a record of each domain name and more importantly the registered owners name. If your not the registered owner of your domain name it's likely your a victim of the latest cybersquatter scam or an inexperienced hosting company. Cybersquatting is the practice of registering a domain name in the hopes that the squatter gains financially by owning the domain name.
Avoid this trap by ensuring the web hosting company registers you as the owner of the domain name.
Domain Name Hosting Scams are rampant
Low Ball Pricing to transfer your Domain name.
If you receive a solicitation from a registrar or reseller for very low prices please make sure to READ THE FINE PRINT! What you'll find are schemes that lock you into higher prices if you attempt to transfer, renew or change the domain information in anyway. Sometimes they'll offer free email and web-hosting complete with lots of annoying pop-up advertising that they don't tell you about. You might think you're saving money until you experience poor service, costly hidden fees and unwanted advertising. Be sure to make informed decisions for security, quality and support before transferring your names.
Deceptive Renewal Notices
Emails or US postal mailers are being used to mislead domain name holders about the expiration of their domain names. They are usually in the form of a warning about your domain names expiring. They may even look like a bill. Typically, your domain names and expiration dates are included in the message. In addition, the name Those Computer Geeks might also be used to create further deception.
