There are multiple companies out there who send domain “expiration” or “registration” notices to small businesses, in an effort to gain control of their domain names. One that just showed up in my mailbox is a campaign from “DNS Services” in Vancouver, Washington. They have sent out invoices via  postal (snail) mail to solicit unwarranted payment for a fake account.

This is an attempt to deceive, and compel you to submit payment by appearing to hold what appears to be proprietary account information.  The information that they are using for your “account” is taken from public records.  (Information about Name Servers, Primary Domain, and hosting information are included on the fake statement.)

Example of fake bill
Example of the “Invoice” received from DNS Services.

They also assign you a 9 digit account number and, if you call their customer support number, they will request this account number via automated telephone interactions.  I personally called it and waited on hold for 20 minutes before eventually hanging up and leaving a message for them to call me back.

They appear to be targeting small businesses in the United States, and in my case they requested $65.00 as an annual fee. This seems to be their customary fee.

It  is itemized on their statement as:

“Managed DNS Backup Business Services” which appears on the website here:  http://dnssvc.com/pricing.php

If you pay them, you will be granting them authority over your domain name, and you could lose it, along with your website. You can read more about this and similar domain name scams here:

Blogosphere/Community:

http://glickscomputerrepair.com/dns-services-scam/

http://www.tilpro.com/dns-services-scam-dont-get-fooled-into-paying/

http://www.joomgo.com/blog/dns-services-bill-is-a-scam

http://community.spiceworks.com/topic/278805-be-careful-of-dns-services-scam

Review/Complaint Sites:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/dns-services-vancouver

http://www.ripoffreport.com/dns-services/organized-crime/vancouver-british-columbia-127d5.htm

BBB:

http://www.bbb.org/oregon/business-reviews/internet-services/d-n-s-services-in-vancouver-wa-22720940/complaints

If you receive a “statement” like this and you have not done business with them in the past, I would encourage you not to pay them, and send your feedback to the Better Business Bureau.

ATTENTION Dex Media Clients:
If you have received a bill like this, please read this information on what to do.

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