ICANN Certified Appraisal Scam

There are just so many companies around claiming this designation, just do a google search for “ICANN Certified Appraisal“, but the problem is simply, ICANN don’t certify “appraisers”.

icann-certified-appraisal-scam

So here’s how they tried to work the scam on me. I had just listed a couple of domains on Sedo (highly reputable and well run), probably the best known “Domain Marketplace”, a few days ago and within a couple of days I get an email:

From: domainlawyer@space-investments.info <domainlawyer@space-investments.info>
Sent: 23 May 2014 02:56
To: Marc Kranat
Subject: somedomain.net
Hello!
I'm an official broker of an investor from Portsmouth (UK). He is going to buy your somedomain.net.
My client has 408,000 euros budget for 25-30 domains. Please specify your asking price in the subject of your message.
I'm working with many domain investors. If you have other domains for sale please email me the list. I may offer your domains to my clients.
How can we send money to you? I think an escrow service is the most secure way for both parties.
If it's your first time sale I can help you with the escrow/transfer process. My work is paid by the buyer so my services are free for you.
Best regards,
Ralph Bauman
Vice President Investor Relations
Space Hosting Services
Switzerland
Bern
Bernstrasse 28
Phone: 32 993 12 34

Of course people offer to throw money at me everyday, wondering where this was going, I told him it was already for sale, fixed price 1000 Euro.

you can buy this domain through sedo
there is a buy now button

I’m still figuring out where this scam is going, his reply makes it a lot clearer.

On 14-05-23 07:14 AM, Domain Lawyer wrote:
Subject: My client offers $12,000. 
Before we proceed my investor needs only one thing from you:
As you may know all major domain brokers does not allow listing above $1000 or higher if you don't have an official appraisal. Since the sale price is not low in our case, my client needs an official certificate of price (appraisal). He also needs to know you have no trademark problems. It won't be a problem since I know an official appraiser that offers this option (trademark infringement verification) for free as a part of the appraisal service.
I'm also interested in a good valuation and a high sale price because my client pays me a commission (10-15% of the sale price) on every domain purchase. So I'm not interested in low sales too.
Of course, you should not use a free automated service like Estibot or similar services. My client won't accept them. I was working for Estibot and knew they were using automated scripts for free appraisals. In our case we need a real manual valuation.
Several years ago, to avoid mistakes and wasting money on useless automated services I asked in Google answers about reliable manual valuation/TM verification services. Please read this: http://www.archive-google.com/threads/threadview18602597.htm (Domain Lawyer is my nickname).
The process is very easy:
1. Go to the appraisal site and order the valuation with the TM verification. Submit your domains to them and let them know you have a buyer with $12000 offer so you need the appraisal near this value. In this case you won't get a low value. If the appraisal comes higher you can increase the price accordingly. It will be fair.
2. Then send these results via email and we'll proceed with the deal.
If you are new to the appraisal process I can help you with a step by step instructions.

So here we have some clues, although I’ve clearly told him the price is 1000 Euros he wants to pay me $12000, classic “advance fee fraud” most commonly used in Nigerian 419 scams. They also commonly initiate contact using a fake lawyer. So I push him a bit more, honest aren’t I, and make it a bit clearer for him.

well buy it yourself for 1000, and sell it to him for 12,000

And he confirms that he’s not really an honest lawyer after all, he’s ready to stitch up his client and cut me in on the action, this is often the twist that catches the greedy criminally inclined sucker.

On 14-05-23 04:43 PM, Domain Lawyer wrote:
What will I do with your domain after purchasing? If I begin to buy names cheap and sell expensive to my client he will find it out and cancel our partnership. I cannot afford to lose my client.

So, I bite, I’m interested in seeing the fake Escrow service that he’s using, as it’s obviously not going to be a straight forward commonly used bouncing cheque method.

ok, what escrow do you use to-do the transfer? what did you "want" to pay for it?
 I have the .com also.

here’s the reply

Before we pay you we need the appraisal from you. 
Before we proceed you should obtain an official appraisal from http://domainswanted.net
They verify trademarks and my client trusts them. They send results very fast - within 24 hours. Other services may send results within 3-7 days. This is not acceptable for my client. I also purchased some of their products earlier(wanted ads access and direct email service). This is a very reliable company with a great customer support.
Just submit your domains and write in the comment field that you have a buyer with $X,XXX offer so you need the appraisal near this value.In this case you won't get a low value. If the appraisal comes higher you can increase the price accordingly. It will be fair. Then email me the results and I will resend them to my buyer.

Now this is an interesting twist and where I was introduced to the fake “ICANN Certified Appraiser”. So I went and visited “Domains Wanted” site and requested appraisals of 2 domains, no on-line payment options. And this is what I got a few minutes later.

From Customer Support <cs@certifiedappraisal.net>
Dear Marc,
Please send 123 usd (49 usd appraisal fee * 2 domains + 25 usd bank fee) to the following bank details (for transfers in USD). In the details of payment please specify: "ATTN: A434170".
Please let us know the bank transfer reference No, the name of sender (you) and your address. We will need it to identify your transfer.
Beneficiary Name:
MTACC INC
Beneficiary address: 3160 Crow Canyon Rd. Suite 220, San Ramon, CA 94583, USA
Bank Name: BB&T
<snipped banking details>
Payment Details: ATTN: A434170
After we receive your payment we will appraise your domains.
Sincerely,
Sandra Miller
Customer Support

certifiedappraisal.net is just a mirror of domainswanted.net, searching both of these sites on Google without adding the word “scam” actually doesn’t list either negativity despite them both being obvious fake “ICANN Certified Appraisers” and ScamAdvisor and BBB at this time have not picked them up. I don’t really know for sure what the involvement of MTACC INC is in this scam, or just as innocent as PayPal would be if that was the payment method, I will be asking though.

While I really don’t have sympathy for those drawn into the deeper scam of “ripping off the lawyers client” and getting ripped off themselves. Very innocent people are caught out, just from the initial contact. Of course if you did get drawn in deeper, it’s not so easy to admit to the authorities that you got scammed while scamming someone else, namely the lawyers fictitious client.

UPDATE
I have seen the a similar story of the same scammers at work in a blog post here at Kejanny from last year.

Here are a couple more urls associated with this scam, icaan.net, premiumdomainsales.org, icannappraisals.com & icann-certificates.org.

 

128 thoughts on “ICANN Certified Appraisal Scam”

  1. Hi.. I also received email from Ralph Bauman. Exactly same email content as your post here. Now he uses premiumdomainsales.org
    Am I being scammed also? Please advise

    1. 100% premiumdomainsales.org is the same people, the same scam, don’t give them a penny, and if you did, notify the Bank, Credit Card Company or PayPal, I have seen them reverse payments in some cases.

      1. Thanks for advise Marc. No I didn’t give them a penny. I just ignored his email since I read your post here. And now Just built my own domaining blog http://domainomy.com . You can see my post about icann scam there. I bought it from deleted domain that I got from a blog. Thanks a ton Marc.

      2. I was just hit with the scam today.
        His Email:
        Hello!

        I represent an investor from Canada who wants to buy domesticserv.com for a brand new web project.

        The buyer is a professional investor from Toronto.

        Investing in web names is a new direction for him.

        I located your contact information in a domain name whois lookup and understand that you own the domain name.

        Are you still interested in selling?

        I work for a hosting company based in UK.

        I help our clients to buy and sell intellectual properties.

        If you have more names I can help you to sell them.

        Best Regards,

        Best Regards,

        Izabela Henc

        Vice President

        Hostgator

        My Reply:

        Dear Sir,
        Thank you very much for your interest in domesticserv.com. With regards to your question, Yes we are still very much interested in selling. Discuss with your client and inform us on how much he is willing to pay for outright purchase because this domain name is presently under bidding process.

        Thank you and warm regards,
        Euston Francis.

        His Response:

        Our commission is 5% only. You will pay it after receiving the funds from the buyer. In order to earn a better commission I will do my best to sell your domain at the highest price possible.

        My buyer invests money in online projects. He buys 10-12 domains for each project to get the maximum traffic possible.

        The buyer will pay you the appraised value. He needs an independent expertise because you and me are interested in a high sale price and my buyer does not want to overpay. He also needs it for accounting and tax purposes.

        Based on my experience, I think your name is in $15,000 – $20,000 range.

        Do you have a certificate of the appraised value from an independent authority (not your broker or auction site)?

        If you don’t have it’s not a problem. You can order it online. I will suggest the best source when we can get a good valuation.

        The certificate will increase the value of your domain. It’s a must do if you wish to sell your domain to a professional investor with a good budget.

        The certificate must include only 2 things to be accepted by my buyer:

        1. Independent valuation of the market price. Only manual valuation is accepted. No valuations generated by scripts.

        2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It’s not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.

        You can read about the recommended certification agency at Google Answers: url removed (“Domain Broker” is my nickname there).

        The process is very easy and will take only two minutes of your time:

        1. Go to the certificate agency site and submit your domain for the certification. Please let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will help you to get a better valuation. In the comment field please ask them to guarantee that the appraised value will be higher than the appraisal service fee. In this case you will not risk to pay and get a low appraisal. I suggest you this company because they protect you as the seller from getting a low appraised value. They will send you the payment instruction only if your domain is worth $1,000 or higher. Otherwise your request will be declined and you will not pay them anything. Other companies does not offer this option.

        2. If your request will be approved, please pay them the fee and wait for 24 hours. Then send me the results via email and we will start the sale process. As soon as he receives your certificate, he will buy your domain via an escrow service. Any escrow service will be able to pay you via Paypal, Wire, Western Union or any other method you prefer.

        He wants to ensure the safe delivery of the funds to you. Furthermore, since this is our first time conducting any business, I believe that using a third-party escrow service can provide a safe, well defined sale process.

        If you are new to certifications or domain sales, I can send you step by step instructions. I will also help you during the whole sale process. You will be able to contact me at any time.

        Thank you for your good job.

  2. Same thing here today.
    Offered me 6000$ for a domain with no value at all. Of course, before I get paid, I had to pay 79 Euros for domain appraisal at premiumdomainsales.org.

    Initial message I received:
    Hello!

    I’m an official broker of an investor from Milford (UK). He is going to buy your dubonmangersant.com.

    My client has $376,000 budget for 25-30 domains. Please specify your asking price in the subject of your message.

    Our company is in hosting business. We also provide brokerage services for domain investors. I’m working with many domain investors. If you have other domains for sale please email me the list. I may offer your domains to my clients.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire, Paypal or Western Union)?

    I can also help you with the transfer process.

    Best regards,

    Isaac Robinson

    Vice President Investor Relations

    Solutions Web Swiss

    Switzerland
    Bern
    Bernstrasse 124
    Phone: 32 993 12 31

  3. The same for me, with “Craig Hernandez”; and fake links such as Please read this: answers.archive-google.com/answers/threadview9741836.htm

    “..My client offers $12,000.

    Ok. Great! Before we proceed my investor needs only one thing from you:

    As you may know all major domain brokers does not allow listing above $1000 or higher if you don’t have an official appraisal. Since the sale price is not low in our case, my client needs an official certificate of price (appraisal)…..”

  4. Hello!

    Its too late for me!!

    I already paid the appraisal:147euro!! and he was asking for an additional 99euro for some low cost escrow service!!

    I can afford my loss!! by the thing is, I asked my sister to pay for me since my card had no funds, but my question: are the financial info of my sister’s card safe? or they will be using it to take other amounts???

    is there a way to report to the FBI to shut down these con men?

    is there a way to get the money back? because I reported to SWreg.org to get a refund, but I found an email from cs@certifiedappraisal.net, telling me that they paid “the expert” who did the “hand appraisal”, and set up like a movie role between them and the con man, and finally he wrote this to me:

    “””What’s wrong with you? Just switch your brain on. If some people think I earn money on appraisals I don’t care. Did I send you any affiliate links? How can I earn money on the appraisals? Any idea? A lack of technical knowledge make people think such bogus things.
    I’m not interested in making $10 on referring appraisal services. I earn much more money on actual sales. My investors pay me 10%-20% on every sale.

    I earn money on reselling domains. I’m working with many clients all over the world and many of them are happy because I really sell domains. These losers from the forum never sold a single domain for 1000 usd or more.
    All these forums claim I must disappear after you pay for the appraisal. Did I disappear? I’m still here and I’m ready to work with you. You can read bad info about each and every company on forums. Don’t trust forums. Trust facts.”””

    So what do you think guys???

    1. Sorry to hear it, it’s just luck you didn’t get caught up in the next part of the scam, where dodgy lawyer pays $20k with a bad foreign cheque into your account, and asks you to forward his “commission” direct to him, foreign cheques look cleared initially, then a few weeks later they bounce.
      As for your sisters card, I really don’t know, likely they try to keep squeaky clean that side of things, as technically they gave you what you paid for, they wont want to lose that merchant account. It’s really your sisters decision to make though.
      Best way to get these people back is to inform others to watch out for them. Please list all their domain names and contact names here so Google can find them.

  5. I just got an email from this same group of guys. The email originated from office@virtual-space-technologies.info. This domain resolves to ***.vpspace.com.

    This time they are using the name Abram Gendelman and claiming to represent a wealthy investor from Winnipeg Canada. The first email had me suspicious simply because of the hyphenated .info domain it originated from. But I responded anyway. The second email was almost certain it was a scam when they wanted me to pay for an appraisal. So I went hunting and found you guys and a bunch of other scam reports for this same thing. That confirmed it. Glad I did my due diligence.

    Remember, if you’re selling a domain and someone wants to buy it, they’ll pay for the appraisal. It’s just like buying a home. Interested buyers will pay for an appraisal. A seller should never pay for an appraisal requested by a buyer. If you want to get an appraisal before listing something so you have an idea on where to price it, that’s fine. But a legitimate buyer will pay for the appraisal themselves if they want one. Also, ICANN doesn’t certify appraisals.

    Report these people, the sites they use, and let others know about them. I can only imagine how many people they have taken for a ride with this stuff. Do your part to stop them when they try this game on you.

  6. These guys are still playing “the game”. Here’s message i got from office@virtual-space-technologies.info:
    ————————————————————————
    Hello!

    I’m a broker of an investor from Winnipeg (Canada). He wants to buy [DOMAIN-NAME].com.

    My client has $495,000 budget for 45-50 domains. Please specify your asking price in the subject of your message.

    Our company is in a web hosting business. We also provide brokerage services for domain buyers.

    If you have other domains please email me the list with prices. I may offer your domains for sale to my clients.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire, Paypal or Western Union)?

    I can also help you with the transfer process.

    Best Regards,

    Michael Ritter

    Vice President | Virtual Web Technologies

    Switzerland
    Basel
    Centralbahnstrasse 21
    Phone: 061 259 31 527

  7. I also got the same email this morning; thank you Marc:

    Hello!

    I’m a broker of an investor from Halifax (Canada). He wants to buy xxxxxxxx.

    My client has $495,000 budget for 45-50 domains. Please specify your asking price in the subject of your message.

    Our company is in a web hosting business. We also provide brokerage services for domain buyers.

    If you have other domains please email me the list with prices. I may offer your domains for sale to my clients.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire, Paypal or Western Union)?

    I can also help you with the transfer process.

    Best Regards,

    Michael Ritter

    Vice President | Virtual Web Technologies

    Switzerland
    Basel
    Centralbahnstrasse 21
    Phone: 061 259 31 527

  8. Here also a scam mail from them.
    I never trust things like that and Always look in the internet.

    THE EMAIL:

    hello!

    I’m a broker of an investor from Halifax (Canada). He wants to buy DOMAIN NAME

    My client has $495,000 budget for 45-50 domains. Please specify your asking price in the subject of your message.

    Our company is in a web hosting business. We also provide brokerage services for domain buyers.

    If you have other domains please email me the list with prices. I may offer your domains for sale to my clients.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire, Paypal or Western Union)?

    I can also help you with the transfer process.

    Best Regards,

    Michael Ritter

    Vice President | Virtual Web Technologies

    Switzerland
    Basel
    Centralbahnstrasse 21
    Phone: 061 259 31 527

    info@virtual-private-hosting.info

  9. Return Receipt from GoDaddy just in:

    Your message
    To: abusegd
    Subject: Re: About myneighbors.net
    Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2014 8:48:04 AM (UTC-07:00) Arizona
    was read on Sunday, July 27, 2014 8:49:03 AM (UTC-07:00) Arizona.

    Final-recipient: RFC822; abuse@godaddy.com
    Disposition: automatic-action/MDN-sent-automatically; displayed
    X-MSExch-Correlation-Key: sKfv6xbqzUixvF1FfCDD6Q==
    Original-Message-ID:
    X-Display-Name: abusegd

  10. who the email/domain Virtual-Private-Hosting.info resolves to:

    On 7/27/2014 11:08 AM, Joe wrote:
    > For Your Information as the domain resolves to your IP/Site Name
    >
    > Virtual-Private-Hosting.info is: VPSpace.com Professional Cloud Hosting
    > Contact Email michael.Shavit@binarics.ch
    >
    > Federal Authorities in the United States have been notified.
    >
    >
    > Best
    > Joe Oliver

  11. I got hit with the scam today and thanks to finding your post, i have not lost anything but a few minutes time. I can foreard you the email and replies so you can post them as well. So, thank you!

    1. Yes please do Eliot, any new identifying details, names, emails and domain names would be good, helps me reach more targets when they do a search. and thanks so much for letting me know, makes it all worthwhile.

  12. I been scammed but only lost time, they hit me with similar emails and made me real excited, ha. Now I’m like damn wish it was real. Who to talk to? Thank you for this site.

  13. Best Regards,

    Albert Klausman

    Vice President | VPSpace Cloud Hosting Solutions

    Switzerland
    Basel
    Centralbahnstrasse 9
    Phone: 061 259 39 614

    Is the name he uses, and he says he is a broker representing someone from Jasper Canada. He is looking to buy 45 to 55 domains for $513,000.

    Will post the rest soon

  14. Hi @ all, i just got a similar Mail from 2day!

    Hello!

    I’m a broker of an investor from Toronto (Canada). He wants to buy 3dedv.com.

    My client has $518,000 budget for 40-50 domains. Please specify your asking price in the subject of your message.

    Our company is in a web hosting business. We also provide brokerage services for domain buyers.

    If you have other domains please email me the list with prices. I may offer your domains for sale to my clients.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire, Paypal or Western Union)?

    Best Regards,

    Abram Wortman

    Vice President | VPSpace Cloud Hosting Solutions

    Switzerland
    Basel
    Centralbahnstrasse 12
    Phone: 061 259 49 604

  15. Same here:

    Hello!

    I’m a representative of an investor from Leeds (UK). He wants to purchase vidroxx.com.

    My client has $483,000 budget for several domains. Please respond and add your price to the subject line.

    If you have other domains please let me know. I may help you to find buyers.

    How do you want to get paid? Escrow, Wire or Paypal?

    Best Regards,

    Michael Kuperman

    Vice President | VP Space Solutions

    Switzerland
    Basel
    Mattenstrasse 14
    Phone: 061 815 21 964

  16. I was contacted last week. This is one of the guy’s latest emails.


    Before we go further we need only one thing from you:

    My client is a professional investor and he buys certified domains only.

    If your domain has been certified please email me the certificate and we will proceed with the sale. If you don’t have the certificate it’s not a problem. I may send you a link where you can obtain it. Please don’t worry. It takes 1-2 minutes to order it. The results will be sent to you within 24 hours. Then you send me the certificate via email and we’ll proceed with the sale

    The certification includes the following:

    1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher we will increase the price accordingly.

    2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems.

    3. Verification of the owner. It proves you are a legitimate owner and your domain has no any obligations and restrictions. I’m sure that you are a legitimate owner so it will be only a formality.

    As a broker I’m very interested in a good valuation part of this certificate because my client pays me a commission (10-15% of the sale price) on every domain purchase. So I’m not interested in a low price too.
    You can read about the certificate agency at: answers.archive-google.com/archive/threadview186052.htm (“Domain Broker” is my nickname).

    The process is very easy:

    1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $X,XXX offer and need a valuation near this value. After several hours you will get the results. If the price in your certificate comes higher we will increase our offer accordingly.

    2. Then send these results via email and we’ll proceed with the deal.

    If you are new to the certification process I can help you with the step by step instructions.

    —–Original Message—–
    From: info@virtual-private-space.info
    Sent: 03 September 2014
    Subject: About domainxyz.com

    Hello!

    I’m a representative of an investor from Leeds (UK). He wants to purchase domainxyz.com

    My client has $483,000 budget for several domains. Please respond and add your price to the subject line.

    If you have other domains please let me know. I may help you to find buyers.

    How do you want to get paid? Escrow, Wire or Paypal?

    Best Regards,

    Michael Kuperman

    Vice President | VP Space Solutions

    Switzerland
    Basel
    Mattenstrasse 14
    Phone: 061 815 21 964

  17. thanks for posting this message!

    I found it a but weird that a person who wants to buy something tells ahead how much money he wants to spend … that is just like doing bad business, so I search the internet before replying at all and hapily found this blog :-))

    thanks!

  18. This is what I got today.. Thanks to your blog post, that I read, just minutes before I was about to order that scam certification….

    THANKS A LOT TO YOU.. You saved me a lot of money…

    Hello!

    I’m a representative of an investor from Nottingham (UK). He is interested in buying [domainName].com.

    My client has $508,000 budget for several domains. Just include your price to the subject line.

    If you have more domains please let me know. I’m working with several major buyers and may offer your other domains to them.

    How do you want to get paid? Escrow, Wire or Paypal?

    Best Regards,

    Peter Weissman

    Vice President | VP Space Solutions

    Switzerland
    Basel
    Feldberstrasse 61
    Phone: 61 269 71 84

  19. hello people. this is what at got last night at 1:42 am..

    -my client from Canada is going to buy http://www.abc.com
    -what is your asking price
    -if you are new to the selling process I can help you
    -I have relations with many investors in the industry. If you or your friends are interested in selling name I’m always ready to help.
    -I work on a commission basis but my services are free to sellers. they are paid by buyers.

    Regards,
    Karl Rotberg
    Independent Domain Name Broker
    MCSE ( Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer)
    Vice President | VPSpace
    11 sixth ave
    Portsmouth
    UK.

    That is all I got. when you go buy a domain name for profit obviously you want to make money. so I did a little research: my brother fortunately works for Microsoft (17 Years and counting) told him about the e-mail and BUM. He said to me: I’ve been buying and selling domains for the last 9 years. how many have i sold after 23 days from creation/registration? NONE. it usually take about 1 to 2 years for a domain with no value. CHEAP SCAM.

    So he recommended me to go play. and that’s what I am going to do.

    MEMO: when you buy a domain name and you keep it in your vault they cant get to you easy, but when you park that domain, here they come.

    you guys take care

    1. That is so funny, I see he’s trying to change the wording a bit and has a new name to avoid people Googling him. I’ve been an MCSE for nearly 20 years and I’m at a loss at how he thinks using that credential gives any weight to him being a “Domain Name Broker”.
      I don’t know if I agree with you about hiding your name though, if real buyers can’t find you, you don’t get any offers.

  20. [A colleague received this email and cc’d it to me:]

    On Thursday, October 30, 2014 10:53 PM, Domain Broker wrote:

    Hello!

    I represent a client who wants to buy ccTLD.com.

    My client has six-figure budget for 55-60 domains. He invests in domains with good potential almost every month.

    Please email me your desired price.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire transfer or Western Union)?

    Our company is in a web hosting business. We also provide brokerage services for domain buyers. If you have more domains for sale please email me the list with prices.

    Regards,

    Andrew Stone

    MCSE

    Vice President | Investor Relations | Host Europe Group

    WN7 2PB

    46 Chapel Street

    Manchester

    UK

    [Here is my colleague’s reply to the unsolicited offer to purchase:]

    I do not need your budget. That is your own information.

    I do however, need a bit more information that I can verify other than “Domain Broker.”
    Price for all aged ccTLDs currently on sale is very attractive for any modest budget. I will only move forward with an escrow service such as escrow.com.

    [please take heed of original sender “Domain Broker in address” signed “Andrew Stone” this sounds part and parcel of the ruse.]

  21. Hello everyone.
    I burned as I paid for the assessment and charge for exchange.
    Can anybody recommend me correct exchange for domains.
    thank you
    ————————————————————
    Hello!

    I’m a broker of an investor from Ottawa (Canada). He wants to buy XXXXXXX.XX

    My client has $396,000 budget for 20-25 domains. Please specify your asking price in the subject of your message.

    Our company is in hosting and web development business. We also help our clients to sell and by domain names. If you have other domains for sale please email me the list. I may offer your domains to my clients.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire, Paypal or Western Union)?

    I can also help you with the transfer process.

    Best Regards,

    Karl Fortman

    Vice President Investor Relations | Web Information Solutions

    Switzerland
    Basel
    Centralbahnstrasse 29
    Phone: 061 209 34 496

    1. Hi Alexander,

      Sorry to hear that. Thanks for the update on the domain appraisal scams slight changes in tactics.

      Please let john.jeffrey(at)icann.org know what has happened if part of the scam involved ICANN trademarks.

      Also, your credit card company maybe sympathetic, it has worked, but I think that’s a long shot.

      I would always use Sedo even if potential client came direct, for smaller sums, less than a few thousand, not that I have been so lucky, but for tens of thousands maybe Escrow.com‎ would be cheaper. Any more and I would probably use a lawyer.

  22. Thanks for the reply.
    Can I count on that evaluation SEDO is real ?
    Is it true that the buyer pays for the assessment and not the seller?
    The place from which I evaluate and exchange is
    certifiedappraisal.net
    Beware of it !!!

    1. As far as I know Sedo do a paid service for both buyer and seller, their automated free one is very unreliable I have found, but they are nothing like the scammers certifiedappraisal.net.

  23. Yeah the same heartless bas~*#ds got me excited and offered to buy homeelectricalsupplies.com with this message

    Hello!

    I represent a client who wants to buy homeelectricalsupplies.com.

    My client has six-figure budget for 55-60 domains. He invests in domains with good potential almost every month.

    Please email me your desired price.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire transfer or Western Union)?

    Our company is in a web hosting business. We also provide brokerage services for domain buyers. If you have more domains for sale please email me the list with prices.

    Regards,

    Andrew Stone

    MCSE

    Vice President | Investor Relations | Host Europe Group

    WN7 2PB

    46 Chapel Street

    Manchester

    UK

    © 2014 Microsoft Terms Privacy & cookies Developers English (United Kingdom)

    A Holes

  24. This just in……. i need a screen shot of domain account and surprise surprise a domain sellers certificate from 1and1certifications.net
    Why are these scammers allowed to operate for so long.

  25. 123reg@virtual-space.info Wed, Nov 5, 2014 at 7:07 PM
    To: xxx@gmail.xx

    Hello!

    I represent a client who wants to buy—————-.

    My client has six-figure budget for 55-60 domains. He invests in domains with good potential almost every month.

    Please email me your desired price.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire transfer or Western Union)?

    Our company is in a web hosting business. We also provide brokerage services for domain buyers. If you have more domains for sale please email me the list with prices.

    Regards,

    Andrew Stone

    MCSE

    Vice President | Investor Relations | Host Europe Group

    WN7 2PB

    46 Chapel Street

    Manchester

    UK

    —————————–

    $xxxxx – Ok.

    Before my client sends you the money, he will require two documents:

    1. Screenshot of your domain account. It will prove you are a legitimate owner.

    2. Domain seller’s certificate from 1and1 Domain Certifications.

    This certificate includes two essential things: appraisal of the market price and a trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. If the appraised value in your certificate comes higher we will increase our offer accordingly.

    Please send the screenshot and the certificate to my email.

    If you are new to the certification process I can help you with step by step instructions.

  26. Hello,
    actually, I got the same as above (Comment from Sahithyaa).
    To bad, after digging a bit with Mr. Stone, he wanted to pay $25000 for a domain. 🙂
    Greetings

  27. yes i have been cheated, I do not know what to do. I hope there are no more people are fooled like me. The following email content and hopefully new potential victims read it too.

    Hello!

    I have a request from my buyer for purchasing #####

    My client has six-figure budget for 66-68 domains. He invests in domains with good potential almost every month.

    Please email me your desired price.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire transfer or Western Union)?

    I provide brokerage services for domain buyers and sellers. If you have more domains for sale please email me the list with prices.

    Regards,

    Mark Downey, Ph. D.

    MCSE

    Vice President | Investor Relations | Domain Trade Association

    WN7 2PB

    Guide Post Road 25

    Manchester

    UK

  28. Received a similar email and the offer was lucrative enough for me to fall for it, but then paying 79 euros to get a whatever that domain appraisal thing is had me suspicious. I googled for Domain tool certifications and it returned nothing. Of course, if google doesn’t show it, it doesn’t exist. Next I added scam to the term and found this post. Thanks for this post!!!

    “Hello!

    I have a request from my buyer for purchasing domain.com.

    My client has six-figure budget for 70-72 domains. He invests in domains with good potential almost every month.

    Please email me your desired price.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire transfer or check)?

    I provide brokerage services for VIP domain buyers. If you have more domains for sale please email me the list with prices.

    Regards,

    Nicholas Weisberg, Ph. D.

    MCSE

    Vice President | Investor Relations | Cloud VP Hosting

    M30 0BP

    Regent Street 45

    Manchester

    UK ”

    “My client offers $4500.

    Before my client sends you the money, he will require two documents:

    1. Screenshot of your domain account. It will prove you are a legitimate owner.

    2. Domain seller’s certificate from Domain Tools Certifications.

    This certificate includes two essential things: appraisal of the market price and a trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. If the appraised value in your certificate comes higher we will increase our offer accordingly.

    Please send the screenshot and the certificate to my email.

    If you are new to the certification process I can help you with step by step instructions.”

    1. I edited your comment so it is no longer a link, these don’t look like the same scammers, some one copying them, can you reply with the text of the email, I would be interested in the content and the email address they use?

  29. Hello!

    I have a request from my buyer for purchasing MY DOMAIN.

    My client has six-figure budget for 60-80 domains. He invests in domains with good potential almost every month.

    Please email me your desired price.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire transfer or check)?

    I provide brokerage services for VIP domain buyers. If you have more domains for sale please email me the list with prices.

    Regards,

    Howard Sandler, Ph. D.

    MCSE

    Vice President | Investor Relations | Domain Management Team

    5 Roundwood Avenue
    Stockley Park
    Uxbridge
    Middlesex
    UB11 1FF
    United Kingdom
    0345 458 2418

    from email: info@123-reg-domain-management.info

    1. Awesome, thank you, it is the same guy, new name, new domain and email address, and they drastically lowered their prices for their fake appraisals.

  30. it got me so mad i thought yes finally i can sell my domain and have the extra money for christmas. But no yet again a scam lol thankyou for the blog by the way 🙂

  31. OMG, I listed my domain on sedo just like a week ago and only two days ago I got a mail.. I was really excited because I thought finally I would get to sale the domain..

    I found something fishing, just on the second phase of his scamming process… So I decided to do a research on that before I even click on the link they sent me and I found this article you wrote…. Thank you so much for this eye opening post….

  32. Me too. My domain was on sedo at fixed price, so it was quite clearly scam to me, googled and found this useful post.

    Hello!

    I have a request from my buyer for buying not-so-good-domain-name.com.

    My client has six-figure budget for 35-45 domains.

    Please email me your desired price. My fee is paid by the buyer so my services are free for you.

    How can we transfer money to you (your preferred payment method)?

    I help top domain investors to find good names on the market. If you have other names to be sold please email me the list.

    Regards,

    Edward Cooper, Ph. D.

    Vice President | Investor Relations | GD Premium Auctions

    5 Roundwood Avenue

    Stockley Park

    Uxbridge

    Middlesex

    UB11 1FF

    United Kingdom

    0345 458 2417

  33. Howard Sandler strikes again… his behavior made me suspicious, and I went to the web looking for a scam. Its incredible that he is using the same exact name and format for the letter. He even claimed to be a former employee of Sedo.


    Hello!

    I have a request from my buyer for purchasing iamsotricky.com.

    My client has six-figure budget for 75-85 domains. He invests in domains with good potential almost every month.

    Please email me your desired price.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire transfer or check)?

    I provide brokerage services for VIP domain buyers. If you have more domains for sale please email me the list with prices.

    Regards,

    Howard Sandler, Ph. D.

    MCSE

    Vice President | Investor Relations | Domain Management Team

    5 Roundwood Avenue

    Stockley Park

    Uxbridge

    Middlesex

    UB11 1FF

    United Kingdom

    0345 458 2418

  34. Here is the version I just got:
    Came from : UK-domain-management.info
    Hello!

    I’m a personal broker of an investor who wants to buy your Muddntrucks.com.

    My client has six-figure budget for 30-45 domains.

    Please email me your desired price.

    How can we transfer money to you (wire transfer, escrow)?

    If you have other names please email me the list. I may help you to sell them.

    Regards,

    David Bergman, Ph. D.

    Vice President | Investor Relations | UK Web Hosting

    5 Roundwood Avenue

    Stockley Park

  35. Wish I found this blog about a day earlier…. Suckered me into the certification.

    From: info@123-reg-domain-realty.info

    Hello!

    I have a request from my buyer for buying copiphone.net.

    My client has six-figure budget for 30-45 domains.

    Please email me your desired price. My fee is paid by the buyer so my services are free for you.

    How can we transfer money to you (your preferred payment method)?

    I help top domain investors to find good names on the market. If you have other names to be sold please email me the list.

    Regards,

    Edward Cooper, Ph. D.

    Vice President | Investor Relations | Domain Trade Association

    5 Roundwood Avenue

    Stockley Park

    Uxbridge

    Middlesex

    UB11 1FF

    United Kingdom

    0345 458 2417

  36. Hi Marc!

    I also got one, just a day before, and they are really really weak at their job.
    At first sight, it was good to read, but later when they told me that a less-than-a-month old site is so much trusted for them that I must get my domain certified by that site only, it made everything clear itself.

    Another site to be added as SCAMMER 🙂
    digital-certificates.net

    Br,
    Shadab Mozaffar

  37. I found this thread thanks to the most recent comment regarding digital-certificates.net since that’s what I was looking for. I’ll copy and paste my interaction with these people below, since it is obvious to me that they are the same lovely domain brokers lol. Also a note that I too had recently listed a few domains up on the Sedo marketplace, and within a week…

    ***INITIAL CONTACT***

    from support@vspace-services.info
    Hello!

    I’m a personal broker of an investor who wants to buy your [domain].com.

    My client has $285,000 budget for 35-45 domains.

    Please email me your desired price.

    How can we transfer money to you (wire transfer, escrow)?

    If you have other names please email me the list. I may help you to sell them.

    Regards,

    Michael Kaminsky, Ph. D.

    Vice President | Investor Relations

    5 Roundwood Avenue
    Stockley Park
    Uxbridge
    Middlesex
    UB11 1FF
    United Kingdom

    0345 457 2618

    ***MY RESPONSE***
    I was suspicious but thought I may as well engage to see what would happen.

    Hello Dr. Kaminsky,

    Thank you kindly for your email regarding the domain [domain].com. I am asking 1000 USD for the domain. It will be transferred and escrowed via Sedo. Please initiate the transfer request in the Sedo marketplace.

    The other domains I currently have available are:

    [domain]
    [domain]
    [domain]

    Regards,

    Rachael

    ***2ND CONTACT***
    from Domain Broker
    My client offers you $3500 for all your four names.

    My client is a professional investor and before he sends you the money he will need two documents from you:

    1. Screenshot of the first page of your domain account with your name near the domain on it.

    2. Domain certificate from Domain Tools (tools.digital-certificates.net/certification.htm). Their certification team earlier worked for Sedo and other major companies. Now they have started a new brand. Their experts are the best in the industry and my domain investors accept their certification results without any problems. It’s very important in our case if you want to sell your domain fast and without any problems. All my domain sellers ordered certificates there and they were satisfied, as well as all my domain buyers and investors.

    They also provide good discounts for bulk orders. If you order one certification it costs 79 euros. If you order 2 – 5 certificates it will cost you 49 euros per domain. If you order 31 or more certificates it will cost you 9 euros per domain.

    Their domain certification contains all in one:

    – Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher we will increase the price accordingly.

    – Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems.

    If you don’t have the certificate you can easily obtain it here.

    Please email me both documents (screenshot and certificate) and we will proceed with the sale.

    If you need some help I can answer all your questions or send step by step instructions.

    Sincerely yours,

    [photo and indecipherable signature]

    ***MY RESPONSE***
    As I said before, the transaction will take place through Sedo. Your client’s offer is acceptable, so if you are interested in obtaining these domains please initiate the transfer with Sedo.

    Thank you for your time.

    Regards,

    ***3RD CONTACT***
    Before my client buys your domain he will need the certification.

    It’s a very profitable business. My last client had a big portfolio of 50 names. He purchased 50 certificates at Domain Tools at 9 euros each (they give huge discounts for bulk certification orders). Using his certificates and my selling skills I was able to sell 24 of 50 names. Each names was sold for $2000 – $25000. He earned $237,500 after investing only 450 euros (9 euro fee * 50 domains) in the certifications. By the way, I earned $23,700 as a commission. If you have a domain portfolio we can repeat the success of other sellers.

    This is a golden mine if you are doing the business right. If you don’t invest in certifications, don’t hire a good broker etc., you will wait for your buyers for years. Believe my words. I’m an expert in the domain selling business.

    ***MY RESPONSE*** (after finding this thread)

    Dear “Domain Broker,”

    As the seller it is not my job to have the virtual property appraised. That is your job. Thank you for attempting to rip me off. It has been a lovely educational experience.

    Sincerely,
    Rachael

    *********

    Thank you Marc! I’ll update if I get a response to that last one lol 😛

  38. Yeah same here, after I put them up on SEDO, got the default email from ‘him’, and after a response from my part, this was his answer below. Sent him a mail to go f$ck himself after that; since I found this blog first…

    My client is a professional investor and before he sends you the money he will need two documents from you:

    1. Screenshot of the first page of your domain account with your name near the domain on it.

    2. Domain certificate from Domain Tools. Their certification team earlier worked for Sedo and other major companies. Now they have started a new brand. Their experts are the best in the industry and my domain investors accept their certification results without any problems. It’s very important in our case if you want to sell your domain fast and without any problems. All my domain sellers ordered certificates there and they were satisfied, as well as all my domain buyers and investors.

    They also provide good discounts for bulk orders. If you order one certification it costs 79 euros. If you order 2 – 5 certificates it will cost you 49 euros per domain. If you order 31 or more certificates it will cost you 9 euros per domain.

    Their domain certification contains all in one:

    – Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher we will increase the price accordingly.

    – Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems.

    If you don’t have the certificate you can easily obtain it here.

    Please email me both documents (screenshot and certificate) and we will proceed with the sale.

    If you need some help I can answer all your questions or send step by step instructions.

    About your other names. I will help you to sell them all. It’s a very profitable business. My last client had a big portfolio of 50 names. He purchased 50 certificates at 9 euros each (they give huge discounts for bulk certification orders). Using his certificates and my selling skills I was able to sell 24 of 50 names. Each names was sold for $2000 – $25000. He earned $237,500 after investing only 450 euros (9 euro fee * 50 domains) in the certifications. By the way, I earned $23,700 as a commission. If you have a domain portfolio we can repeat the success of other sellers.

    This is a golden mine if you are doing the business right. If you don’t invest in certifications, don’t hire a good broker etc., you will wait for your buyers for years. Believe my words. I’m an expert in the domain selling business.
    Sincerely yours,

  39. From: support@vspace-services.info
    To: 5434d906szbdkkdo@5225b4d0pi3627q9.whoisprivacycorp.com

    Hello!

    I’m a broker of an investor who is going to buy mydomainname.

    My client has six figure budget for 40-45 domains.

    Please email me your desired price.

    How can we transfer money to you (wire transfer, escrow)?

    If you have other names please email me the list. I may help you to sell them.

    Regards,

    David Weisman, Ph. D.

    Vice President | Investor Relations | Cloud Web Hosting Association

    5 Roundwood Avenue

    Stockley Park

    Uxbridge

    Middlesex

    UB11 1FF

    United Kingdom

    0345 467 2119

    to many name for this people

  40. I just got this email – same scummy scammers I believe.

    —–Original Message—–
    From: support@uk-domain-management.info [mailto:support@uk-domain-management.info]
    Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2015 3:37 PM
    To: me
    Subject: Offer to purchase leevote.com

    Hello!

    I’m a broker of an investor who would like to buy leevote.com.

    My investor has six figure budget for 75-80 domains.

    Please email me your desired price.

    How can we transfer money to you (wire transfer, escrow)?

    If you have other names please email me the list. I may help you to sell them.

    Regards,

    Michael Friedman Woods, Ph. D.

    Internet Domain Name Lawyer

    5 Roundwood Avenue

    Stockley Park
    Uxbridge
    Middlesex
    UB11 1FF
    United Kingdom
    0345 467 2619

  41. Hello guys, i receive the same message. And i had a conversation with the “broker”. Before do what he tells me, i make a research and i find this website :), so thank you Marc 🙂 and God bless you. And I’d like to share with you the conversation to help others to avoid this kind of “Technical thieve”.
    ——-
    The conversation
    XXXXX.com is the domain i want to buy
    ——-
    Offer to buy XXXX.com
    dns.request@virtual-space.info

    08/11/2014

    Hello!

    I have a request from my buyer for purchasing XXXXX.com.

    My client has six-figure budget for 63-65 domains. He invests in domains with good potential almost every month.

    Please email me your desired price.

    How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire transfer or Western Union)?

    I provide brokerage services for domain buyers and sellers. If you have more domains for sale please email me the list with prices.

    Regards,

    Robert Douglas, Ph. D.

    MCSE

    Vice President | Investor Relations | Domain Trade Association

    WN7 2PB

    Gordon Avenue 9

    Manchester

    UK
    ————————————-

    14/11/2014

    À dns.request
    Hi,

    Of corse i want to sell XXXX.com and XXXXX.com. For the price i dont’ fixe it for instant but you can prpose it 🙂

    Thank you and good day.
    Domain Broker

    14/11/2014

    ————————————–

    My client offers $25000.

    Before my client sends you the money, he will require two documents:

    1. Screenshot of your domain account. It will prove you are a legitimate owner.

    2. Domain seller’s certificate from Domain Tools Certifications.

    This certificate includes two essential things: appraisal of the market price and a trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. If the appraised value in your certificate comes higher we will increase our offer accordingly.

    Please send the screenshot and the certificate to my email.

    If you are new to the certification process I can help you with step by step instructions.

    ————————-

    HI,

    My name is YYYYY RRRRRRR, from Morocco

    thank you for your cooperation.

    XXXX.com is my domain and i want to sell it,

    i can’t send you certificate because it cots me 79 dollars ;

    You can search for whois and you will find all informations about the owner (me);

    so if you have another way we can cooper too.

    i propose that you get the certificate and you deduct it’s price from the price transaction price
    ($25000).

    Thank you 🙂

    —————————————

    Domain Broker

    Pièces jointes 15:25 (Il y a 23 heures)

    À moi

    It’s a standard practice to provide buyers with a certificate It’s very important for us to know the real market value of your domain and be sure the domain has no trademark problems.

    Buyers don’t pay for certificates because it’s a property of the seller. The certificate increases value of your domain .Without it you can sell your domain for $200-$300 only. So sooner or later you will have to order it.
    Zone contenant les pièces jointes

    ———————————

    À Domain

    Hi

    You can go to flippa and buy it there.

    Regards

    ——–

    Domain Broker

    My client need the certification first. He won’t proceed without it.

    ——-

    À Domain

    I’m desolate, i can’t spend money for something that i do not receive anything.

    I tell you, you can certificate the domain name and deduce it’s price in the price of the transaction.

    Thank you

    ———————

    À Domain
    (this link point to the payment service )
    This is the link: secure.shareit.com/shareit/checkout.html……..

    ——————-

    À moi

    We cannot order it. This service can be ordered by an owner only. They will verify you.

    They provide deeper analysis. It’s not only the WHO IS check. They also appraise your domain and verify all possible trademark risks. My client needs an opinion of independent experts.

    My client won’t proceed without this verification.

    ————————–

    À Domain
    After certificate the domain name how much you will pay for buying XXXX.com ??

    —————————

    À Domain
    After certificate the domain name how much you will pay for buying XXXX.com ??

    How you can send me money ?

    the time required to send me money ?

    —————————-

    À moi

    He will pay you the appraised value. Even if it comes lower he will pay you at least 10000.

    There are two ways of finishing the deal with my buyer. All of my buyers are serious investors and prefer to send money via an escrow service. You can select one of the following two ways:

    1. You use a third party escrow service. In this case you have to pay their escrow fee (3-10% upon sale). For example, if you sell a domain for $10,000 or higher you may pay from $300 to $1000 as the escrow fee. This fee is paid for each domain.

    2. You use services.namereport.net/escrow.htm. In this case you pay only one time fixed fee (99 eur) for all your domains. Even if you sell several names for 100,000 eur you pay only 99 eur. They provide the free escrow for domains listed on their site only. Now my client uses this site for all his domain purchases. It will save you a lot of money because you pay one time fee and then you can use their free escrow/transfer service for 10-50 domains at no additional costs. This is the cheapest way to finish domain sales. They can send you money via Paypal, Wire or Western Union. In order to use this escrow you should list your domain at services.namereport.net/sell.htm.

    —————

    À Domain
    Hi,

    you tell me in the last message that the price is $24000, now it becomes $10000 ??

    why ??

    —————-

    À moi

    No. The price is still 24000. But what is the appraisal comes at $5000? In this case my client guarantees that he will pay you 10000 at least. If the appraisal comes at $30000 he will pay you $30000.

    Do you understand it now?

    —————————

    À Domain
    HI,

    i don’t have money for the moment. You can go to flippa or Sedo and buy XXXX.com, after you can sell it to your client with the price you want.

    Thank you 🙂

    —————————————————–

    In the final, i will tell him that the operation he prepare is not a good thing, it’s not well to steal the money of the other persons, if he wants the money he should works and work hard. I will tell him that if he continue in the this way he will find himself in the jail.

  42. Got same scam email

    Hello!

    I represent an investor who would like to buy (my domain here).

    My investor has six figure budget for 60-70 domains.

    Please email me your desired price.

    How can we transfer money to you (wire transfer, escrow)?

    If you have other names please email me the list. I may help you to sell them.

    Regards,

    Robert Goldman, Ph. D.

    Vice President Investor Relations

    5 Roundwood Avenue

    Stockley Park

    Uxbridge

    Middlesex

    UB11 1FF

    United Kingdom

    0347 467 2819

    1. I got the same email from this guy Robert Goldman, Ph. D.
      and it didn’t pass my “smell test” so I found your site Marc.
      Thanks for posting about these scammers, great job !!!
      Wish there was a way to prosecute them but at least you are doing a good service by making others aware. Thanks.

  43. Hello,

    I received a scam email four days after putting my domains onto Sedo. The Con Artist crafted a fake local contact to increase the level of trust with his potential target.

    His local phone number (41 709 14 72) is the number of a local bank (Zuger Kantonalbank at Baarerstrasse 37) but missing the zero prefix.

    His local address (Zugerstrasse 16, 6330 Cham Switzerland) is authentic except for one thing, there is no #16 located on that street.

    These address discrepancies were redflags. Here the initial email + follow up email. Cheers

    EMAIL #1
    ——————————–
    Hello!

    I represent a businessman from EU and have been tasked with acquiring blahblahblah.com for his new business project to be launched in June, 2015.

    Your domain name is at the top of his shortlist of names, and he would be prepared to pay up to US$18,000 to secure this domain name.

    Time is of the essence as he needs to secure the domain name as soon as possible, so his Corporate Communications department can prepare the relevant logos and letterheads.

    I am available to discuss this transaction at your earliest convenience. I look forward to your reply.

    If you have more domain names for sale, please email me the list. I may help you to find buyers for them.

    Regards,

    Aaron Grundman

    Domain Lawyer

    123 European Domain Attorney

    Zugerstrasse, 16

    Cham

    6330

    Switzerland

    41 709 14 72

    EMAIL #2
    ——————————–
    My client offers $18000. How can he send the money to you? My client usually uses an escrow service.

    Before my client buys he will need two things from you:

    1. Screenshot of your domain account. It will prove you are a legitimate owner.

    2. Domain certification from Domain Tools.

    This certificate includes two essential things: an appraisal of the market price and a trademark infringement verification.

    My client is an experienced investor and he buys certified domains only to avoid potential risks with trademarks and overpriced/stolen domains. So simple certificates from GoDaddy or Sedo do not suit the needs of my client. Before he send the money he needs a complete certification with a valuation and a trademark infringement verification.

    Please send the screenshot and the certificate to my email.

    If you are new to the certification process I can help you with step by step instructions.

  44. Thanks for this information, i didnt the money to send this guy reasson why i didnt pay, but i searched for information and found this blog, thank you who did this and all people who write the own story, the person´s name who sent me an email is Michael Friedman, Ph. D. tld.domain.name.attorney@gmail.com the website for certify the domain is tools.domainsaletools.com/appraisal_order.htm, watch out and again, thank you very much, 79 euros in Mexico is a lot of money when you dont have it, and they offer me $ 15,000 euros

  45. Just got a similar e-mail from this mob as follows:

    “Hello!

    I represent an investor from Florida (USA). He needs ####.club for his new project. The project wil be launched in September.
    My client would be prepared to pay up to US$16,000 to secure this domain name.
    Time is of the essence as he needs to secure the domain name as soon as possible, so his Corporate Communications department can prepare the relevant logos and letterheads.
    I am available to discuss this transaction at your earliest convenience. I look forward to your reply.
    If you have more domain names for sale, please email me the list. I may help you to find buyers for them.

    Regards,
    Aaron Goldberg
    Domain Lawyer

    123 Hosting
    93 Moss Lane East
    St. George’s, Manchester
    M15 5JB
    845 614 3729”

    I too played along with him as this made no sense what so ever…
    His reply:

    “My investor offers $16,000.
    Before my client buys he will need two things from you:
    1. Screenshot of the page with the list of your domains at your domain registrar’s web site.
    2. Domain valuation from Domain Pro Tools.
    Simple certificates from Afternic, GoDaddy or Sedo don’t work for him. Before he sends the money he will need a complete certification with a valuation and a trademark infringement verification.

    If you still don’t have a valuation certificate, it’s not a problem. It will take only 1-2 minutes to order it. You won’t be able to sell a non certified/appraised domain to a serious buyer anyway. So sooner or later you will have to obtain it.
    Please send the screenshot and the valuation/trademark certificate to my email.
    If you are new to the certification process I can help you with step by step instructions.
    Looking forward to hearing from you!”

    Couple of more emails swapped….more BS back from him/them..
    So they are using several names to run this scam..

    BEWARE

  46. I got similar email today:

    ———————
    Hello!

    I represent an investor from Canada. He needs [myDomainName] for his new project. The project wil be launched in October.

    My client would be prepared to pay a sum between $8,000 and US$15,000 to secure this domain name.

    Time is of the essence as he needs to secure the domain name as soon as possible, so his Corporate Communications department can prepare the relevant logos and letterheads.

    I am available to discuss this transaction at your earliest convenience. I look forward to your reply.

    If you have more domain names for sale, please email me the list. I may help you to find buyers for them.

    Regards,

    Moses Kershenbaum

    Domain Lawyer

    VSpace

    146 Hammerstrasse

    CH-4057 Basel

    Switzerland
    —————————

  47. Got this one today:

    From:
    To:
    Subject: Offer to purchase xxx.com

    Hello!

    I represent a private investor from Canada. He needs xxx.com for his new project. The project will be launched in September.

    My client would be prepared to pay a sum between $12,000 and US$14,000 to secure this domain name.

    Time is of the essence as he needs to secure the domain name as soon as possible, so his Corporate Communications department can prepare the relevant logos and letterheads.

    I am available to discuss this transaction at your earliest convenience. I look forward to your reply.

    If you have more domain names for sale, please email me the list. I may help you to find buyers for them.

    Regards,

    Michael Foreman

    Ecommerce Consultant

    Domain Lawyer

    7023 Mumford Rd

    Halifax

    NS B3L

    Canada

  48. Hello i have paid for certification and escrow services provided by namereport.net with domain broker as the one recommending these services. Now am waiting for payment from buyer to reach the escrow services.
    So at this point they have the $ i got a link to my certificate.

    I purchased the escrow service which included adding 10names for sale with them.
    my question is now that they have my $ are they trying to steal my domain in the escrow process?

    1. That is awful, the whole thing is a scam from start to finish, there are many players here, surprisingly they do not walk away from a successful mark, they always go for more, if the domains have a real high value, which I doubt is the case, they might try to grab them from you, but there could be other ways they will take it from here.

      I have seen this version, they might pay a bad foreign check in your account for more than the requested amount, which they will say was a mistake, it will wrongly show as cleared after a week in your bank, they will ask you to transfer the excess money back to them only to find that your bank a few weeks later marks the check they sent you as fraudulent, and draw the funds back from your account.

      They might say there are taxes that need paying in advance of the transfer.

      I have seen a case where the victim was approached by a private investigator who said he was already chasing the scammers, of course he asked for a contribution to his fee, victim heard no more after it was paid. So scammed again.

      You should report the crime here http://www.fbi.gov/report-threats-and-crime, while they may not do much for you personally, I suspect they will have a case going against these scammers, if you made payment with paypal or your credit card for the fake appraisals, I have seen them be sympathetic so it is worth reporting to them, if you paid by any other method (Bank Transfer, Western Union etc.) I’m afraid there is no chance of recovery.

    2. Now as I said i have already purchased certification and the escrow.
      My question to the “domain broker” was where do we stand in the escrow process? He replied below

      I talked to my buyer.

      He said he made a mistake in account #. The money went to a wrong account. Now the bank needs some time to return the payment. After they fix the problem my client will issue a new payment.

      To avoid such problem in the future he will send them the wire by check.

      “them” being namereport.net escrow service. Now that i have purchased the service and certification. what reason do they have to carry on with this?
      Escrow service claims they can send money when received from buyer via paypal..western union..

      1. Thank you just seen reply…. my domain is a good one.. if they were to send via western union then as you stated that cant be reversed Correct? But that would also require me transfering ownership of the domain. For release of the funds… sounds like that would be a mistake at this point.

  49. Yes, western union payment can not be reversed, but it sounds like they are just delaying and you will never see the payment, remember the escrow service itself is in on the scam. What’s the name of the escrow service?

  50. You sent a payment of $126.06 USD to Digital River USD GMBH
    (e5paypalUSDGmbhCS@digitalriver.com)

    Thats the receipt for escrow….
    Other emails have info@namereport.net on them. I also enailed the broker to see if payment was sent on 19th of march as stated. He replied no it was sent the 23 rd monday…it will be interesting to see now that im out almost 300$ what there next move is. Im waiting to hear that escrow has received money. Then here is the scary part i then transfer the domain for release of funds. i only purchased the escrow because they claim to pay me for my domain lawunderoath.com via western union..

  51. Digital River are just the payment gateway they used to extract payment from you, they themselves do not offer an escrow services, I’d say speak to them, but they have a reputation of being very unapproachable and not being fast to act when their services are misused by scammers.
    Yes its always interesting to follow the rabbit down the hole and see where they are going with this, but where ever it takes you, how ever convincing they are, do not give them anything unless you are supported by some law enforcement authority.
    B.T.W. What is the url of the scam Escrow?

  52. Received this email yesterday. This is the second time in a space of two months. This time however, he uses a different name.

    From: “xxx.com@privatemonster.com”
    To: xxxx@yahoo.com
    Sent: Monday, April 6, 2015 8:33 PM
    Subject: Privacy Forward – [from:info@virtual-private-hosting.info] Offer to purchase xxxx.COM

    Hello!
    I represent an investor from Norway who needs xxx.COM for a new project.
    Are you still interested in selling this domain? If so, please reply back to our email and I will provide you with further details how to proceed with the sale.
    My client would be prepared to pay a sum in $X,XXX – $XX,XXX range to secure this domain name. If you expect another figure, we can discuss it.
    Our company is in web hosting business. We also provide brokerage service for domain buyers and sellers.
    If you have other domain names for sale, please email me the list. I have regular meetings with major domain investors.

    Regards,
    Michael Reminsky, Ph. D.

    Vice President Investor Relations
    VP Space Cloud Hosting & Computing
    Sudquaistrasse 14
    CH-4057 Basel
    Switzerland

    My reply:
    On 06.04.2015 22:55,
    Hello,
    Thank you for your interest.
    This domain name is listed for sale on Ebay. You are welcome to put in an offer there. I do NOT accept offers outside of Ebay.
    Regards

    Obviously he didn’t get it as he contacts me again

    Re: Privacy Forward – [from:info@virtual-private-hosting.info] Offer to purchase xxx.COM
    Apr 6 at 9:41 PM

    My client offers $15,000.
    Ok. Great! Before we proceed my investor needs only one thing from you:
    As you may know all major domain brokers does not allow listing above $1000 or higher if you don’t have an official appraisal. Since the sale price is not low in our case, my client needs an official certificate of price (appraisal). He also needs to know you have no trademark problems. It won’t be a problem since I know an official appraiser that offers this option (trademark infringement verification) for free as a part of the appraisal service.
    I’m also interested in a good valuation and a high sale price because my client pays me a commission (10-15% of the sale price) on every domain purchase. So I’m not interested in low sales too.
    Of course, you should not use a free automated service like Estibot or similar services. My client won’t accept them. I was working for Estibot and knew they were using automated scripts for free appraisals. In our case we need a real manual valuation.
    To avoid mistakes and wasting money on useless automated services I asked in the forum about reliable manual valuation/TM verification services. Please read this: XXX FAKE POST IN GOOGLE GROUPS XXX

    The process is very easy:
    1. Go to the appraisal site and order the valuation with the TM verification. Submit your domains to them and let them know you have a buyer with $X,XXX offer so you need the appraisal near this value. After several hours you will get the results.
    2. Then send these results via email and we’ll proceed with the deal.
    If you are new to the appraisal process I can help you with step by step instructions.

    I contact him again

    On 07.04.2015 0:00,:
    As I said earlier, I don’t accept offers outside of Ebay. If your client wants this domain name, he can put in an offer there.
    As regards an appraisal on the domain name in question. Well, I suggest you have it appraised yourselves. If your client is as imterested as he claims to be, I’m sure he’ll be only too happy to pay for the appraisal himself.

    Regards

    Not one to give up, he contacts me again

    Privacy forward – (from: info@virtual-private-hosting.info)
    Apr 6 at 10:13 pm
    It’s a common practice to provide buyers with certificates. There are no other methods if you are going to sell your domain to a professional investor. The certificate will increase the value of your domain so it’s worth spending several bucks on it.
    Buyers don’t pay for certificates because it’s a property of the seller. The certificate increases value of your domain .Without it you can sell your domain for $200-$300 only. So sooner or later you will have to order it.

    Sincerely yours,

    Knowing full well that this is a scam, and having enjoyed winding him up, I brought this email conversation to a speedy conclusion.

    To VP Investor Relations:
    No, it is not common practice to provide buyers with certificates. If someone is interested in a domain name they will pay for an appraisal. A seller should NEVER have to pay for an appraisal requested by a buyer.
    If the seller wants to get an appraisal before selling a domain name, in order to have an idea of what prize to list it for, that is his/ her right to do so. But a LEGITIMATE buyer will pay for the appraisal themselves if they are interested.
    As you can see. I’m very much up to speed on domain matters, having been buying and selling domains for several years. Might I suggest you take a refresher course on how one professionally requires a domain name!?
    Regards

    1. I like your style Anette, nicely handled, for lower price domains Ebay is a good option, far cheaper than Sedo and you really don’t need the escrow at lower prices, but you don’t get the anonymity Sedo offers.

      1. Thanks for your comment Marc! And thanks also for your site. You’re doing a fabulous job in educating domainers on how to avoid being drawn in by scammers.

  53. Hi, just quickly read through your infos and the comments. Normally I don’t contribute to fora. But as the name of “my” scammer did not yet show up here – the info might be useful to somebody getting the same thing and looking into google.

    The first mail came one or two days after I parked several domains I don’t need any longer at SEDO’s. As the texts always seem to be variations of the same, I just insert here the used names and addresses.

    sender was
    Von: info@managed-cloud-services.info
    Datum: 22. April 2015 14:43

    mail was signed by
    Aaron Greenberg, Ph. D.
    Vice President Investor Relations
    VPSpace Center
    Sudquaistrasse 13
    CH-4057 Basel
    Switzerland
    Phone: 061 259 49 611

    Being just a little bit suspicious because the offered sum seemed way above the value of the asked for domain – doing some googling: www. managed-cloud-service.info leads immediatly to www. vpspace.com. Tried both their contact form and their e-mail-address – asking them to verify if Dr. Aaron Greenberg IS one of their vice presidents. Neither the contact form nor the mail-address worked.

    I offered him to buy it via SEDO. What I got included:
    “You can read about the certificate agency
    at answers.google-answers.net/archive/threadview192708.htm (“Domain Broker” is my nickname). ”

    Accused him directly of not having a customer/buyer but an agency which wants to sell certificates. Got:
    “Sedo charges 99 euros for the appraisal service but they don’t verify trademarks and have 3 days delivery. Domain Tools Digital Certificates offer 1 day delivery and they verify TM for free. It’s important for my client. ”

    Now things start to differ from the wording I already found about this type of scam. So I copy in here some more:
    Me:
    1 day or 3 days, what’s the hurry about? Your agency charges 149 Euros. And with a domain-name like karitebutter.net you can’t have trademarks – similar as you can’t succesfully apply for protecting as a trademark words like cocoa or simply butter, words of everyday language – or similar sheabutter, the common word for a common substance.

    “Domain Broker” ( not any longer adding “Aaron Greenberg Ph.D. or any signatures to his mails):
    I agree, but Sedo does not verify trademarks. That’s why my client does not accept them. Sedo can also give you a low valuation. I’m not an affiliate of Digital Certification Tools. They don’t send me money for referring new customers. But we have a mutual beneficial interest. I earn 10% on every domain sale. I send them domain sellers and they help them to get a better appraised value. The appraisal certificate convinces a domain buyer to pay this sum. They don’t want to risk too.
    I understand your concerns. Earlier I worked for Afternic and Sedo. I know many people in the industry personally. Now I use my relations in the industry to help other people to buy and sell domains. Please don’t worry. My buyer is a serious investor. He will buy your domain after you order the certificate. I give you 100% guarantee.

    Me:
    And how does this 100% guarantee work?
    Let’s just hypothetically say I pay 149 Euros for that certification process – incl. that it is not possible to protect the word karitebutter as a trademark – and your buyer does not buy, not pay. How does your guarantee step in?

    Actually, what recherche did he do into this domain name? karitebutter itself is a name for sheabutter which is in this form only useable in the German language. And even here the name sheabutter is more common. As far as French speaking countries are concerned it would be beurre de karité – not karitebutter.

    “Domain Broker”:
    You don’t need to protect karitebutter. They will simply checks if there are no any problems with other trademarks. I talked with experts. they told me your domain had no problems. But my buyer needs an offical conclusion + appraisal certificate.
    Everything will be ok.

    Me:
    That still leaves the question how the 100% guarantee you mentioned would work

    “Domain Broker”:
    I talked to my buyer. He confirmed his intentions. I always keep my word. You can trust me.

    Trust me, really? I’ve spent enough time with this now. It gets boring, I will end it. If I want to play I’ll do some Solitaire or Royal Envoy game or similar, more fun.

    Hope that will help someone.
    And thanks for doing such a blog.

    1. That’s funny, he has to drop using his random name in follow up replies as he’s changing the name he is using on each scam email now and obviously can’t keep track of who he is to who.

  54. hi everybody.
    Same email siam like the others but the question is:
    Is namereport.net all fake? And services.digital-certificates.net?
    Please advice.
    Franco

    1. yes, all a scam, they have lots of domain names they use, you can tell it’s the same style and text content they use, they stopped misusing the icann logo recently after I brought it to icann’s attention.

  55. Hi,
    I received a similar email yesterday

    Hello!

    I’m a personal broker of an investor who wants to buy your mydomainname.com domain name.
    My client has $285,000 budget for 35-45 domains.

    Please email me your desired price and tell me how can we transfer money to you (Escrow, Paypal?)
    If you have other domain names please email me the list. I may help you to sell them.

    Regards,

    Michael Kaminsky, Ph. D.
    Vice President | Investor Relations

    5 Roundwood Avenue
    Stockley Park
    Uxbridge
    Middlesex
    UB11 1FF
    United Kingdom

  56. I have got same type of email, replied and got another email that they wants to pay 15000$-30000$ for my domain.
    I believe this is the same kinds of fraud step.

    “Hello!
    I represent an investor from USA who needs analozy.com for a new project.

    Are you still interested in selling this domain? If so, please reply back to our email and I will provide you with further details how to proceed with the sale.
    Best Regards,
    Aaron Goldberg, Ph. D.
    Vice President Investor Relations
    BidoAuctions LLC
    Hollywood
    Florida”

    1. Yes, same wording and in this context, the Ph. D. is a give away.

      I’m guessing the email came from @bido-auctions.info, one of his new scam domains.

  57. I got one of these this week. I scrolled back and saw one email example with similar wording, but I haven’t seen the name he used here yet, or the reference to the Google Answers thing about Certificates.

    Here is the email I received first (after listing for sale on Sedo)

    info@ front-office-email-server.info

    May 12 (2 days ago)

    to me
    Hello!

    I represent an investor from Norway who needs handcraftedhandmade.com for a new project.

    Are you still interested in selling this domain? If so, please reply back to our email and I will send you instructions how to proceed with the sale.

    Our company is in hosting business. I help our clients to buy names for their projects. If you have more domains, please email me the list.

    are you a beginner in domain sales or an experienced seller?

    Best Regards,

    David Ginsberg

    MCSE

    Vice President Investor Relations

    Front Office Web Solutions

    Jakob Askelandsvei 13

    4314

    SANDNES

    NO

    I knew he had to see my domain because of Sedo, and wondered why he didn’t just buy it through Sedo of course. I suspected a scam because I’ve seen the other scams before with the poor grammar and english where someone offers to buy a boat or car you have listed for sale for more than you’re asking with a cashier’s check wanting you to wire them the difference, etc. But, this has better wording, and at this point he was just asking if it was for sale, etc. I briefly Googled the address, and it looked like a real place. So, I replied, saying yes it’s for sale and so are three others I secured for my business and didn’t need.

    So, he replies, starts throwing out five figures when he could have bought them all on Sedo for less than $2,000, and sends me to a Google Answers page where he asked for a suggestion about a domain certification company and the thread continues to make it look like he’d paid a guy a lot for a successful sale… So he put some work into that. Plus he added a photo, I guess that’s to make me trust him more.

    VP Investor Relations

    May 13 (1 day ago)

    to me
    My client offers a sum in $15,000 – $35,000 range for all three. The exact figure will depend on the appraisal results (see below).

    Before we go further we need only one thing from you:

    My client is a professional investor and he buys certified domains only.

    If your domain has been certified, please email me the certificate and we will proceed with the sale. If you don’t have a certificate it’s not a problem. I may send you a link where you can obtain it. Please don’t worry. It takes 1-2 minutes to order it. The results will be sent to you within 24 hours. Then you send me the certificate via email and we’ll proceed with the sale

    The certification includes the following:

    1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher we will increase the price accordingly.

    2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems.

    3. Verification of the owner. It proves you are a legitimate owner and your domain has no any obligations and restrictions. I’m sure that you are a legitimate owner so it will be only a formality.

    As a broker I’m very interested in a good valuation part of this certificate because my client pays me a commission (10-15% of the sale price) on every domain purchase. So I’m not interested in a low price too.

    You can read about the certificate agency at http:// removed/archive/threadview192712.htm (“Domain Broker” is my nickname).

    The process is very easy:

    1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer and need a valuation near this value. After several hours you will get the results. If the price in your certificate comes higher we will increase our offer accordingly.

    2. Then send these results via email and we’ll proceed with the deal.

    If you are new to the certification process, I can help you with the step by step instructions.

    Sincerely yours,

    *Here is where the photo and signature is without a typed name. I really wish it would have pasted here so you could appreciate it. The photo is representative of a very innocent looking young businessman. The signature is not legible but it does not look like it says “David” at all – looks like an “M” then a scribble.

    I went to the site mentioned in the Google Answers thing which is URL http:// services.digital-certificates.net/appraisal .htm and I’m not surprised to see that I’m supposed to pay for the certification/appraisal… I already assumed it was all completely bogus – what honest company is going to give me a five figure appraisal just because I tell them I need it? And his client will have no problem paying it? He of course explains that he wants the high figure so his commission will be higher. Not shady at all.

    The certification site looks kind of fake as well, but I’m sure it works well enough to take people’s money. I googled the certification site’s name and because of the words certified appraisal this thread came up, and I’m glad to know I was right to be suspicious, but very disappointed I won’t be receiving $15-35K because I was hoping to buy a boat. 🙂

    Does it do any good to report this to anyone, and if so, who? No crime has yet occurred because no money changed hands, but clearly that was the plan.

    Thanks!

    1. Oh, I did a Google image search of the professional looking photo he used in his second email, and it’s from a real person’s LinkedIn profile, he’s a construction cost planner for big companies/construction jobs in Australia.

      I’d like to tell him his photo is being used in a scam, but I don’t know if he has any recourse, so I couldn’t tell him what to do about it.

      That is scary. Is there nothing you can do if someone uses your photo as their own? It has to be considered fraud and I can’t imagine it being legal.

      Unbelievable that these people can operate so boldly and out in the open. Obviously it’s hard to charge them with anything, or the authorities don’t care that much, one or the other.

  58. Yes he can issue a DMCA takedown notice if the scammer doesn’t comply, they have taken off the ICANN logos they were misusing after i notified ICANN, If he can be bothered is another thing. But yes you can go after any entity misusing your images in this or nearly any other way, I have dealt with lots of cease and desists from both sides, if there is noncompliance you go after the host, who will always comply by taking the whole site down. There are plenty of templates out there to assist https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/stock-letters/

    Technically most of what the scammer(s) is/are doing is criminally legal (not a lawyer, but that’s how I understand it) with the fake appraisals and bogus domain auctions, there is a distance kept between the initial “I have a buyer for your domains” persona. It’s not like he has a contract with you, he’s just saying “I have someone interested in paying 100 times what your domain is worth”.

  59. I have received a suspect email, but luckily I found this great post, thank you Marc.

    Copy of the email, with current name and email wording:

    >From:
    >Subject: Offer to purchase xxx.com

    >
    >Hello!
    >
    >I represent an investor from USA who needs xxx.com for a new project.
    >
    >Are you still interested in selling this domain?
    >
    >If so, please reply back and we will negotiate the price and discuss
    >the sale process.
    >
    >Are you a beginner in domain sales or an experienced seller?
    >
    >Best Regards,
    >
    >Jacob Braverman
    >
    >Vice President Investor Relations
    >
    >123 Hosting
    >
    >UK

    Marco

  60. I was in Thailand I received this email as well And by them deceptive to 149 USD.
    —————————————————————
    Hello!

    I represent an investor from Turkey who needs xxx.net for a new project.

    Are you still interested in selling this domain?

    If so, please reply back and we will negotiate the price and discuss the sale process.

    Are you a beginner in domain sales or an experienced seller?

    Best Regards,

    Aaron Erblich

    Domain Lawyer

    16 Zeev Vilany

    Haifa

    32982

    Israel

    528795678

    1. My client offers a sum in $1,800 – $3,500 range. The exact figure will depend on the appraisal results (see below).

      Before we go further we need only one thing from you:

      My client is a professional investor and he buys certified domains only.

      If your domain has been certified, please email me the certificate and we will proceed with the sale. If you don’t have a certificate it’s not a problem. I may send you a link where you can obtain it. Please don’t worry. It takes 1-2 minutes to order it. The results will be sent to you within 24 hours. Then you send me the certificate via email and we’ll proceed with the sale

      The certification includes the following:

      1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher we will increase the price accordingly.

      2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems.

      3. Verification of the owner. It proves you are a legitimate owner and your domain has no any obligations and restrictions. I’m sure that you are a legitimate owner so it will be only a formality.

      As a broker I’m very interested in a good valuation part of this certificate because my client pays me a commission (10-15% of the sale price) on every domain purchase. So I’m not interested in a low price too.

      You can read about the certificate agency at http://archive.answers-google.org/answers/threadview/id/189816.html (“Domain Broker” is my nickname).

      The process is very easy:

      1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer and need a valuation near this value. After several hours you will get the results. If the price in your certificate comes higher we will increase our offer accordingly.

      2. Then send these results via email and we’ll proceed with the deal.

      If you are new to the certification process, I can help you with the step by step instructions.

      1. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to proceed without the certification. I can help you with step by step instruction how to obtain the certificate. It will take only 2 minutes to order it. It will be delivered to you within 24 hours via email.

        I understand your concerns. Earlier I worked for Afternic and Sedo. I’ve helped hundreds of domain owners to sell their domains. I’m using my experience and my relations in the industry to help other people to buy and sell domain names.

        Please don’t worry. My buyer is a serious investor. He will buy your domain after you order the certificate. I give you 100% guarantee. If you wish I can send you a written agreement that he will buy after you provide him with the certification.

        I can help you with step by step instructions how to obtain a certificate. Please go to Digital Tools Domain Certificates

        Enter your domain there and write in the comment field you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer so you need the valuation near this value.

        It will take only 2 minutes of your time to order it.

        They will send you the results within 24 hours. Simply resend me the certificate after you get it via email.

        After we receive your certificate we will proceed with the sale. I may help you with the transfer process. Please don’t worry. I will be with you during the whole sale/transfer process. You can count on my help.

  61. Hi Marc,
    I have got same type of email. Be careful guys.
    I received the following email from israel.walla.co.il@gmail.com
    and he wants my to buy domain certification from this site
    www. topdomainsales.net

    Here is the email I got from him:
    —————
    Hello!
    I represent an investor from Saudi Arabia who would like to buy x*****x.com for a new project.
    The buyer is a professional investor and owns several businesses.
    If you are interested in selling let’s discuss the sale process.

    My client offers a sum in $80,000 – $90,000 range. The exact figure will depend on the appraisal results (see below).

    Before we go further we need only one thing from you:

    My client is a professional investor and he buys certified domains only.

    If your domain has been certified, please email me the certificate and we will proceed with the sale. If you don’t have a certificate it’s not a problem. I may send you a link where you can obtain it. Please don’t worry. It takes 1-2 minutes to order it. The results will be sent to you within 24 hours. Then you send me the certificate via email and we’ll proceed with the sale

    The certification includes the following:

    1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher we will increase the price accordingly.

    I’m also interested in a good valuation and a high sale price because my client pays me a commission (10-15% of the sale price) on every domain purchase.

    2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems.

    3. Verification of the owner. It proves you are a legitimate owner and your domain has no any obligations and restrictions. I’m sure that you are a legitimate owner so it will be only a formality.

    As a broker I’m very interested in a good valuation part of this certificate because my client pays me a commission (10-15% of the sale price) on every domain purchase. So I’m not interested in a low price too.

    You can read about the certificate agency at link removed (“Domain Lawyer” is my nickname).

    The process is very easy:

    1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer and need a valuation near this value. After several hours you will get the results. If the price in your certificate comes higher we will increase our offer accordingly.

    2. Then send these results via email and we’ll proceed with the deal.

    If you are new to the certification process, I can help you with the step by step instructions.

    Best Regards,

    Itzhak Ben-Haim
    Lawyer
    36 HaAtzmaut St
    Haifa
    Israel

    1. Interesting, he saw your email address and tried to give you some familiar name, address and email address, I’ve only seen him fake UK, German and Swiss details before for European and American targets. I’ve seen him use that domain before, so for sure it’s him. Thanks for the info.

  62. 15000$ offered yesterday.
    Same pattern.
    A little research gave me this:

    topdomainsales.net

    Domain Age: 27 Days
    Website Speed: Very Fast

    Owner: Frank Bergman
    Owner Address: mattenstrasse 12
    Owner City: Cham
    Owner Postcode: 6330
    Phone Number: +41.794024081
    Phone Type: mobile: Swisscom Mobile AG
    Email: Related to 2 sites

    Owner Country : Switzerland
    Website Location : Netherlands

    Lets do something!
    There’s name and address.
    What a way to make few bucks.!
    Not nice!
    Should find a way to stop this guys

  63. Thanks for this heads-up! Here’s the reply I got after replying to the initial email (I said that the domain was on Sedo – listed, you guessed it folks, a few days ago – and could only be bought there:

    The buyer is an investor from Norway.

    He offers $15,000.

    Do you have a certificate?

    My buyer needs the certificate for accounting/tax purposes.

    If you don’t have it’s not a problem. You can order it online.

    Please note he cannot accept it from any agency. He needs a manual service.

    The certification must include the following:

    1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher, he will increase the price accordingly. In the domain name industry, there are many appraisal tools that people use to estimate the value of a domain name. My client does not want to risk and doesn’t accept services that use scripts. If you are unsure about some service feel free to ask me.

    2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It’s not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.

    I’m also interested in a good estimate of the market price because he pays me % on each sale.

    You can read about certification agencies at http://archive.answers-google.org/answers/threadview/id/107495.html (“Domain Broker” is my nickname).

    The process is very easy:

    1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will help you to get a better valuation.

    2. Send it to me and we will start the sale process. As soon as he receives your certificate he will buy your domain via an escrow service. Any escrow service will be able to pay you via Paypal, Wire, Western Union or any other method you prefer.

    He wants to ensure the safe delivery of the funds to you. Furthermore, since this is our first time conducting any business, I believe that using a third-party escrow service can provide a safe, well defined process.

    If you are new to the certification process, I can help you with the step by step instructions.

    1. Oh – almost forgot – the original mail he sent was as follows, and the URL was topdomainsales.net:

      Hello!

      I’m a representative of a businessman who wants to purchase *********.org.

      I located your contact information in a domain name whois lookup and understand that you own the domain name.

      Are you still interested in selling?

      I work for a hosting company.

      I help our clients to buy and sell domains. Do you have more domains for sale? Can you send a list?

      Are you a beginner or an experienced seller?

      Best Regards,

      Simon Lee

      Vice President

      Investor Relations

      VPS Hosting

    2. I got the same deal from a VP of a company in UK. His investor from Norway, etc. Same details.

      I guess they think a percentage of people will be so excited about the money they won’t do a simple Google search.

      Keep up the good work here as it will save a lot of others money and heartbreak.

  64. I have received a similar proposal as all above, so these guys are still ”alive and well”

    So glad I have found your thread/site with all alarmbells ringing!

    Thanks a lot

    I have copied emails below:

    our buyer is a well known investor in Norway.

    He offers 12,000 euros.

    Do you have a certificate?

    He needs this for accounting/tax purposes.

    If you don’t have it’s not a problem. You can order it online.

    Please note he cannot accept it from any agency. He needs a manual service.

    The certification must include the following:

    1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher, he will increase the price accordingly. In the domain name industry, there are many appraisal tools that people use to estimate the value of a domain name. My client does not want to risk and doesn’t accept services that use scripts. If you are unsure about some service feel free to ask me.

    2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It’s not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.

    I’m also interested in a good estimate of the market price because he pays me % on each sale.

    You can read about certification agencies at link removed (“Domain Broker” is my nickname).

    The process is very easy:

    1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will help you to get a better valuation.

    2. Send it to me and we will start the sale process. As soon as he receives your certificate he will buy your domain via an escrow service. Any escrow service will be able to pay you via Paypal, Wire, Western Union or any other method you prefer.

    He wants to ensure the safe delivery of the funds to you. Furthermore, since this is our first time conducting any business, I believe that using a third-party escrow service can provide a safe, well defined process.

    If you are new to the certification process, I can help you with the step by step instructions.

    On 23.09.2015 17:42, Walter Otte wrote:
    > Hello,
    >
    > I still await your offer,
    >
    > Please advise
    >
    > Walter Otte
    >
    > Le 21/09/2015 22:28, info@123-reg-uk-hosting.info a écrit :
    >> Hello!
    >>
    >> I represent a businessman who is going to buy cosmeticsurgerydeals.org.
    >>
    >> I located your contact information in a domain name whois lookup and understand that you own the domain name.
    >>
    >> Are you still interested in selling?
    >>
    >> I work for a hosting company based in UK.
    >>
    >> I help our clients to buy and sell web sites and domains.
    >>
    >> Do you have more names? Can you send a list?
    >>
    >> Are you an experienced seller?
    >>
    >> Best Regards,
    >>
    >> Stephen Kane
    >>
    >> Vice President
    >>
    >> 123 REG UK
    >>
    >
    >
    >

  65. I wanted to thank you all for the fair warning. I was very close to getting caught up in one of these scams. I am fairly new in this domain business and a bit naive at first when I received the email:

    Hello!

    Our client is interested in purchasing [Domain].com

    He is a professional investor with 23 years of experience.

    I located your contact information in a domain name whois lookup and understand that you own the domain name.

    Are you still interested in selling?

    I work for a hosting company based in UK.

    I help our clients to buy and sell intellectual properties.

    Do you have more names? Can you send a list?

    Are you an experienced seller?

    Best Regards,

    Aaron Brown

    Vice President

    123 REG UK

    My reply lead to his about obtaining the certificate and going through one of those fake sites. Once I got to the site I noticed that it seemed very shady. My response was as follows:

    Domain Broker,

    As with all of my other domain sales, the client looking to purchase them must pay for the domain appraisal and certificate if he chooses to request one.

    If he would like to purchase directly, the domain is listed on Sedo & Afternic, which I’m sure he’s aware in all of his years in this business are the most trustworthy and internationally known.

    As a domain broker, I trust that you’re aware of how these commission percentages work and the international law regulating brokerage and certification services.

    Let me know what the Norwegian decides.

    Best Regards,
    Domain Owner/Seller

  66. I received the same but this time from a guy called Eric Johansson.
    I listed my domain on Flippa and he contacted me the second day. Here is the message thread:

    Tradera Investor Relations
    The buyer offers $15,000.

    Do you have a certificate?

    He needs this for accounting/tax purposes.

    If you don’t have it’s not a problem. You can order it online.

    He needs it from a source he knows and trusts.

    The certificate must include the following:

    1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher, he will increase the price accordingly. In the domain name industry, there are many appraisal tools that people use to estimate the value of a domain name. My client does not want to risk and doesn’t accept services that use scripts. If you are unsure about some service feel free to ask me.

    2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It’s not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.

    I’m also interested in a good estimate of the market price because he pays me % on each sale.

    You can read about certification agencies at link removed (“Domain Broker” is my nickname).

    The process is very easy:

    1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will increase the appraised value. If everything is ok with your domain, they will send you the payment instructions. If your domain has low value or some restrictions, they will not approve your request and you won’t pay for the certification. So there is no risk for you.

    2. After you get the certification via email, please send it to me and we will start the sale process. The buyer will purchase your domain via an escrow service. I may recommend a very reliable escrow service that supports Payoneer, Paypal, Wire, check and many other payment methods, so you can get your payment fast and easy.

    We need to use the escrow because he wants to ensure the safe delivery of the funds to you. Furthermore, since this is our first time conducting any business, I believe that using a third-party escrow service can provide a safe, well defined process.

    If you are new to certifications, I can send you step by step instructions.

    On 31.10.2015 16:44, I wrote:
    Hi,
    Thanks for the interest . Yes the domain is for sale.
    I am a seasoned seller and keep domains from time to time.

    On Sat, Oct 31, 2015 at 4:15 PM wrote:
    Hello!

    Our client is interested in purchasing xyz .com for a new project.

    I located your contact information in a domain name whois lookup and understand that you own the domain name.

    Are you still interested in selling?

    I work for Tradera (owned by Paypal).

    I help our clients to buy and sell intellectual properties.

    Do you have more domains? Can you send a list?

    Are you an experienced seller?

    Best Regards,

    Eric Johansson

    Vice President

    Tradera

    www. tradera .com

  67. Hi all,

    Thanks for the info. It seams that this scam is still running.
    I received the following email for a domain I am selling from Joseph Abramowitz:

    The buyer offers $15,000.
    Do you have a certificate?
    He needs this for accounting/tax purposes.
    If you don’t have it’s not a problem. You can order it online.
    He needs it from a source he knows and trusts.
    The certificate must include the following:
    1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher, he will increase the price accordingly. In the domain name industry, there are many appraisal tools that people use to estimate the value of a domain name. My client does not want to risk and doesn’t accept services that use scripts. If you are unsure about some service feel free to ask me.
    2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It’s not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.
    I’m also interested in a good estimate of the market price because he pays me % on each sale.
    You can read about certification agencies at Link Removed (“Domain Broker” is my nickname).
    The process is very easy:
    1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will increase the appraised value. If everything is ok with your domain, they will send you the payment instructions. If your domain has low value or some restrictions, they will not approve your request and you won’t pay for the certification. So there is no risk for you.
    2. After you get the certification via email, please send it to me and we will start the sale process. The buyer will purchase your domain via an escrow service. I may recommend a very reliable escrow service that supports Payoneer, Paypal, Wire, check and many other payment methods, so you can get your payment fast and easy.
    We need to use the escrow because he wants to ensure the safe delivery of the funds to you. Furthermore, since this is our first time conducting any business, I believe that using a third-party escrow service can provide a safe, well defined process.
    If you are new to certifications, I can send you step by step instructions.
    Joseph Abramowitz
    Lawyer
    Jerusalem
    Israel

    After insisting that he provided a telephone number and further information on the transfer process, he did not send any further emails. I then found this website, which confirmed that this was a scam.
    Thanks again for the warning.

  68. Just thought I would add my 2 cents (I could smell it was a scam a mile off!). I received an email on a Sunday morning from a Jeremy Gainsford from 123-reg-support.info which was an instant redflag since I know 123 Reg only work Monday-Friday in the UK. I don’t think I have seen this name so maybe a new alias! Here is the email chain (so far – I like to wind scammers up!):

    Hello!

    Our client is interested in purchasing beglamoured.com for a new project.

    I located your contact information in a domain name whois lookup.

    The buyer is an investor from Qatar.

    I represent his interests in this deal.

    Are you still interested in selling?

    The buyer can offer a good price.

    If you have more names I can help you to sell them.

    Are you an experienced seller?

    Best Regards,

    Jeremy Gainsford

    Vice President

    123 REG UK

    ——————————————————————————————————————-

    Hi Jeremy

    I am interested I selling – I have quite an extensive background in business entrepreneurship in both the technology and marketing sectors however domain flipping is a new venture which I am currently testing the waters with.

    I was unaware that 123 Reg offered brokerage services so, although I am sure you are legit based on your email email, would you have any evidence that I am dealing directly with 123-Reg?

    If I am happy to proceed, what fees and commissions do you charge for your brokerage service? And what is your procedure for handling the funds/transfer until completion?

    In regards about whether I have more domains to sell, I have 2 more and if this works out I will have many more going forward which I would be happy to allow you guys to broker on my behalf!

    I look forward to your response.

    David Hanmer

    ——————————————————————————————————————-

    The buyer offers $15,000.

    Do you have a certificate?

    He needs this for accounting/tax purposes.

    If you don’t have, it’s not a problem. You can order it online.

    He needs it from a source he knows and trusts.

    The certificate must include the following:

    1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher, he will increase the price accordingly. In the domain name industry, there are many appraisal tools that people use to estimate the value of a domain name. My client does not want to risk and doesn’t accept services that use scripts. If you are unsure about some service feel free to ask me.

    2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It’s not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.

    I’m also interested in a good estimate of the market price because he pays me % on each sale.

    You can read about certification agencies at link removed (“Domain Broker” is my nickname).

    The process is very easy:

    1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will help you to get a better valuation.

    2. Send it to me and we will start the sale process. As soon as he receives your certificate he will buy your domain via an escrow service. Any escrow service will be able to pay you via Paypal, Wire, Western Union or any other method you prefer.

    He wants to ensure the safe delivery of the funds to you. Furthermore, since this is our first time conducting any business, I believe that using a third-party escrow service can provide a safe, well defined process.

    If you are new to certifications, I can send you step by step instructions.

    (he forgot to add his signature – no doubt because he lost track of his various aliases!)

    ——————————————————————————————————————-

    Brilliant!

    Just a few things which I would like to say:

    1) I’ve rang 123-Reg, who unsurprisingly have advised me that they have never heard of you.
    2) 123-Reg have also advised they don’t provide domain brokerage services
    3) Your payment methods are just wrong considering you are UK based
    4) Sellers DO NOT provide appraisals – this is up to the buyer
    5) Trademarks are not an issue when the domain is a word which can be found freely in an English dictionary – which any serious investor or buyer would already know
    6) I agree about escrow but I will ONLY use https://escrow.com/

    If you can answer/counter these points then I am happy to continue with this process.

    Regards

    David Hanmer

    I’m waiting for his reply but I will post it on here when/if I get a response

  69. Help me get to know whether this person is legitimate. he sent me the following messages and I have been in process of finding a Domain Sale Certificate.
    ————-[from him]————–
    Hello!

    I represent an investor from Europe who needs _________.com for a new project.

    My buyer is a professional investor.

    Are you still interested in selling?

    I work for an online Swedish auction. I help our clients to buy names. If you have more domains, please email me the list.

    Are you a beginner or an experienced seller?

    Best Regards,

    Edvin Rosborg

    Vice President

    Domain Sales

    Tradera Auctions

    www. tradera. com

    ———-[To him]—————
    Dear Mr Edvin Rosborg,

    I am contacting you because am ready to sell ________.com to You.

    This domain is short, very descriptive, and has got very high resale value and can be used for all purposes.

    ______________.com Please Make Offer

    Am ready to negotiate from any offer received

    I thank you for your consideration. The sale is now open so please contact me at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your time.

    Best Regards,

    Joseph ____

    ——–[From him]——
    The buyer is a well known businessman in his country (Sweden).

    He offers $100,000.

    Do you have a certificate?

    He needs this for accounting/tax purposes.

    If you don’t have it’s not a problem. You can order it online.

    As a professional, he cannot accept it from any agency. Only manual service is accepted.

    The certificate must include the following:

    1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher, he will increase the price accordingly. In the domain name industry, there are many appraisal tools that people use to estimate the value of a domain name. My client does not want to risk and doesn’t accept services that use scripts. If you are unsure about some service feel free to ask me.

    2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It’s not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.

    I’m also interested in a good estimate of the market price because he pays me % on each sale.

    You can read about certification agencies at url removed (“Domain Broker” is my nickname).

    The process is very easy:

    1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will help you to get a better valuation.

    2. Send it to me and we will start the sale process. As soon as he receives your certificate he will buy your domain via an escrow service. Any escrow service will be able to pay you via Paypal, Wire, Western Union or any other method you prefer.

    He wants to ensure the safe delivery of the funds to you. Furthermore, since this is our first time conducting any business, I believe that using a third-party escrow service can provide a safe, well defined process.

    If you are new to the certification process, I can help you with the step by step instructions.

  70. Hello Friends

    I was about to fall into the cobweb of these scammers.

    I search for 123-reg-domain-names.info domain found this post. Very thanks.

    This is my testimony.

    DATA SCAMMERS:

    Domain Broker
    Ian Davidson
    names@123-reg-domain-names.info
    Vice President
    123 REG UK

    FIRST MAIL:
    *****************

    ———- Forwarded message ———-
    From:
    Date: 2015-11-29 1:12 GMT-05:00
    Subject: Offer to purchase xxxxx.com
    To:

    Hello!

    Our client is interested in purchasing psicodirectorio.com.

    The buyer is an investor from Qatar with a solid budget for different online projects.

    He is a professional investor with 17 years of experience.

    I located your contact information in a domain name whois lookup and understand that you own the domain name.

    Are you still interested in selling?

    I work for a hosting company based in UK.

    I help our clients to buy and sell intellectual properties.

    Do you have more names? Can you send a list?

    Are you an experienced seller?

    Best Regards,

    Ian Davidson

    Vice President

    123 REG UK

    SECOND MAIL:
    *****************

    The buyer will pay you the appraised value. I think it will be fair and secure for both parties.

    Based on my experience, I think your name is in $15,000 – $20,000 range and my client has enough funds to pay you this sum.

    He is also interested in purchasing

    1xxx.com
    2xxxx.org
    3xxxx.com
    4xxxx.com

    Do you have a certificate of the appraised value?

    If you don’t have it’s not a problem. You can order it online.

    He needs it from a source he knows and trusts.

    I’m also interested in a good estimate of the market price because he pays me % on each sale.

    The process is very easy:

    1. Go to the certificate agency site (see instructions below) and submit your domain for the certification. Please let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will help you to get a better valuation. In the comment field please ask them to guarantee that the appraised value will be higher than the appraisal service fee. In this case you will not risk to pay and get a low appraisal. I suggest you this company because they protect you as the seller from getting a low appraised value. They will send you the payment instruction only if your domain is worth $1000 or higher. Otherwise your request will be declined and you will not pay hem anything. Other companies does not offer this option.

    2. If your request will be approved, please pay them the fee and wait for 24 hours. Then send me the results via email and we will start the sale process. As soon as he receives your certificate, he will buy your domain via an escrow service. Any escrow service will be able to pay you via Paypal, Wire, Western Union or any other method you prefer.

    He wants to ensure the safe delivery of the funds to you. Furthermore, since this is our first time conducting any business, I believe that using a third-party escrow service can provide a safe, well defined sale process.

    The certificate must include only 2 things to be accepted by my buyer:

    1. Independent valuation of the market price. Only manual valuation is accepted. No valuations generated by scripts.

    2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It’s not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.

    You can read about the recommended certification agency at Google Answers: url deleted (“Domain Broker” is my nickname there).

    If you are new to certifications, I can send you step by step instructions.

    THIRD EMAIL
    *****************
    Yes, I can help you with step by step instructions how to obtain the certificate my client needs. Please go to Smart Domain Sales

    Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will increase the final appraised value of your domain. If everything is ok with your domain, they will send you the payment instructions. So there is no risk for you.

    They also verify trademarks and my client accept their verifications. It’s very important for us to finish the sale without delays.

    It will take only 2 minutes to submit your domains. If they approve your request, please proceed with the payment.

    After you make the payment, they will send you the results within 24 hours. Simply resend me the certificate via email.

    After we receive your certificate we will proceed with the sale. I may help you with the transfer process. Please don’t worry. I will be with you during the whole sale/transfer process. You can count on my help.

  71. Hello!

    I represent an investor from Canada who needs xxxx.global for his project.

    The buyer is a professional investor.

    I located your contact information in a domain name whois lookup and understand that you own the domain name.

    Are you still interested in selling?

    If you have more names I can help you to sell them.

    Best Regards,

    Frederick Shapiro

    Vice President

    Domain Names Department

    1and1 UK Hosting

    1. Thanks for the update Zee, what a muppet Frederick Shapiro is, can’t decide if he’s in Canada or the UK. Can you reply with the email address he’s using, he’s been quiet recently, maybe he’s changed.

  72. I can’t believe I fell for this scam. I already spent the $189 initial “domain appraisal” fee and grew suspicious when he mentioned that I’d have to list it through the same site’s escrow service.

    The email they used is info@hostgator-web-host.info and the site they directed me to is domainswanted.net.

    1. and thanks for posting this article, Marc. I had almost been sucked into spending another $189 to list the domain on their site.

      1. I’ve been stringing this asshat along trying to get him to give up where he’s located. He says he’s based out of India & Europe but his IP says Russia (95.73.92.50). Address is Rabochaya ulitsa, 23 Meshcherskoye, Russia. Could very well be a relay or server location though.

        I’m going to reach out to GoDaddy and 123-reg-uk to let them know that someone is using their services.

        This guy scammed the wrong hombre.

        ..and Asshat scammer, if you’re reading this, you know where to find me based on my Whois info. The 2nd Amendment and I are waiting for you.

        1. I don’t think the scammer keeps track of the initial emails he sends out, you could setup as many throw away accounts as you wanted to wind him up, the IPs he uses are vpn/proxies, I’ve only seen him/them working in English, so would guess that’s where they are, the UK.

  73. ok, I am so happy I looked this up and saw this post about this scam. They just emailed me about 2 hours ago with the same story and had me go to premiumdomainsale.net for the appraisal. I did not pay them yet but I did request the appraisals and wrote what they told me to write. I hope I haven’t gone too far. I don’t think I have since they haven’t got money from me yet.

    But, I do have a question for you all. Is there a legit place where I can get my site appraised?

    1. Sedo do have a service, but really, who knows, I thought this was a a great name (300m is a way of expressing the speed of light), but I was never able to get anything close to what Sedo valued it at which is why I use it myself, where as a domain Sedo valued at 500 euro, I sold for 5 times that. My advice is put them on Sedo at the highest price you want, people aren’t shy to make lower offers, and if they really want it, they use buy now.
      Seller should never really be paying for the appraisal here. Domain sales is not a big thing for me though, I don’t have that much experience.

  74. I received similar offer from a fake broker. His name is

    Fred Markowitz
    Domain Names Department
    123 REG

    He referred me to premiumdomainsale.net for buying appraisal certificate. I searched the website, many domains listed there for sale, wanted ads and other services. Check this site and see if this is real? or just a fake group extracting money from domain owners.

    1. yes, premiumdomainsale.net is the same group of scammers, thanks for the update. Funny choice of fake names there, the real Fred Markowitz wrote papers on the connection between crime and mental illness.

  75. I got hit up with this attorney from a reputable Swiss Firm.. Ironically, her Linked In profile backed it up!!

    authorize-domain.net appears to be the $199 appraisal target

    ===============================

    Here’s how I responded;

    WOW .. You almost had me.. nice try! SMH

    I did find you on LinkedIn, even.. man you guys are getting good, and I’ve been in IT since 1978 !!!

    https://300m.com/security/icann-certified-appraisal-scam/

    If you are serious, then we will go through escrow.com, where I will place the domain ownership (the ONLY thing you need) and once funds are received through authorized channels, will transfer it to your ‘client’s’ ownership.

    I’m banking that I won’t hear from you again, or you will offer some sort of ‘good faith’ deposit, but I doubt it. If your client wants the certifications, they can pay for it themselves.

    Cheerio!

    1. Awesome, that was what I intended with this post, informing the intended victims before they get scammed, sadly for a few it’s too late. Can you let us know the name and email address they are using, as they do reuse them.
      It’s a pretty clever scam, not surprised so many fall for it.

  76. Do you own “.net” extension? If it’s yours he would be interested in purchasing it too.

    Commission of our company is only 5%. It’s paid by the buyer.

    He will pay you via the Authorize Merchant Escrow service. They accept payment from his country and can pay you via wire, Paypal, check or any other method you prefer.

    The buyer offers a price in $15,000 – $20,000 range.

    Do you have a certificate? It’s required by his bank.

    The final sale price will depend on the certificate.

    If you don’t have the certificate it’s not a problem. You can order it online.

    Please note he cannot accept it from any agency. He needs a manual service. It also must be a third party independent agency (not your broker our auction site) and must be accepted by his bank.

    The certification includes the following:

    1. Independent valuation of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the valuation comes higher, he will increase the price accordingly. In the domain name industry, there are many appraisal tools that people use to estimate the value of a domain name. My client does not want to risk and doesn’t accept services that use scripts. If you are unsure about some service feel free to ask me.

    2. TM verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems. He would like this verification to be included in the appraisal report. It’s not a problem because some companies include the TM verification for free.

    You can read about certification agencies at http:// domain-removed/answers/threadview/id/40351682.htm (“Domain Broker” is my nickname).

    The process is very easy:

    1. Go to the certificate agency site and order a certificate. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $XX,XXX offer. It will help you to get a better valuation.

    If your domain is worth at least $1000, they will send you the payment instructions. If it’s not possible, they won’t send you the instructions. This way you will not lose anything. It’s very convenient and gives you the full protection. Other services charge you upfront even if your domain is not worth spending the appraisal fee, so I don’t recommend them.

    2. Send the certificate to me and we will start the sale process. As soon as he receives your certificate he will buy your domain.

    If you are new to the certification process, I can help you with the step by step instructions.

    Best Regards,

    Yoshihiko Kawanaka

    Personal Broker

    Heteml.jp

    Hosting Company

    Tokyo, Japan

    ========================================================================
    My Reply
    i won’t pay one penny to certificate my domain, if you need to know it’s value, why not certifycate it yourself? by the way, i think it’s hard to evaluate domain name value.

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