DROA Scam

I had a client  ask me about an email they received from DROA ( Domain Registry of America). I’d seen something like this before and knew that it was a scam to try to get people to move their registration over to DROA. If you received an email like this, DO NOT give them any information and delete the email immediately.

They charge three times more for registration than what you would pay for normal registration and they are very hesitant to switch over registration to another company.

They are scammers and cheats. My client had made no request for a transfer of their domain and DROA was trying to pull a fast one on my client.

If you receive an email like the one below, as I said above, delete the email.

****************************************

From: Domain Registry of America Support <support@droa.com>
Subject: Re: TW, . ; Order # 11111111
To: “John Smith” <XXXXX@yahoo.com>
Date: Wednesday, May 5, 2010, 12:14 AM

Hello,

We are required to verify the transfer though the Administrative Contact
Email in the Whois for the domain.  The current registrar is displaying
xxxx@x . t in the Whois for this domain.  We cannot update
your contact information because it is attached to your Domain and only
your current registrar or their reseller can make changes to it.

Please let us know once the Whois for the domain has been updated so
that we can update our system.

We have sent transfer authorization emails in order to complete the
transfer process, unfortunately it seems that your current registrar has
rejected the transfer process.  Please contact your current registrar
and ask them to unlock the domain in order to complete the process.

All domains in transfer to us from another registrar require an EPP key
to transfer.

Please contact your current registrar to obtain this key.

The transfer of domain names to us cannot be completed without this key.

We are a reseller for Brandon Gray Internet Services, Inc. DBA
Namejuice.com, however for any information regarding your domain you
will have to contact us.

Leon
Technical Support Department
Domain Registry Group
Tel: +1.866.434.0212
Fax: +1.866.434.0211
International Tel: +1.905.479.2533
International Fax: +1.905.479.1878

On 05/05/10 12:35, Ira Davis wrote:

— On Tues, 5/4/10, Customer Support <transfers@droa.comwrote:

From: Customer Support <transfers@droa.com>
Subject: TW, xxxxxx.com; Order # 1111111
To: xxxxxx@yahoo.com
Date: Monday, May 3, 2010, 3:12 AM

To xxxxxxx,

Thank you for choosing to transfer and renew xxxxxx.com with the Domain Registry of America. Upon testing your current administrative email address xxxx@xxxxx.net we have not been able to contact you to complete your transfer and renewal with Domain Registry of America. This may be because xxxx@xxxx.net is no longer in use, or misspelled.

If these changes have yet to be made, please follow the directions below, to have the administrative email address corrected. Failure to do so will prevent you from being able to retrieve your EPP/Transfer Authorization Code and transfer and renew your domain name with Domain Registry of America. Call your current registrar and have these changes made to your administrative email address.

Your current registrar is GODADDY.COM, INC..

1) Introduce yourself as the person responsible for the domain name xxxxxx.com

2) Ask them to change your Administrative Contact email address to the one you are now using. (You may be asked to present them with personal information, so that they may confirm your identity as the owner)

3) Once they have changed your administrative email address ask to them to email you your EPP Code or Transfer Authorization code, then supply it to us.

Please note that, unfortunately, Domain Registry of America cannot make these changes on your behalf. Only the owner of the domain name is authorized to make these changes.

Also, your domain may be locked by your current registrar, please have them UNLOCK it in order for the transfer to be completed.

Up to this date your changes have yet to be reflected in the WHOIS database. If this is your first notice please follow the directions above, otherwise this is to serve as a reminder.

As a convenience, we have supplied your current registrars phone number below.

Domain: xxxxx.com
Current Registrar: GODADDY.COM, INC.
Registrar Phone Number: Please visit their site to contact them

Thank you,

Renewals & Transfers Department
-Domain Registry of America

Please have your Domain Registry of America order number (#1111111) ready when calling