Well this is one of the oldest online scams that has been existing since last 15 years as far as I know!
So I got an email from a person representing a company in the year 2003. The email said they are interested in one of my domain names they mentioned and would like to offer me $x,xxx for the same.
I thought thats a great news, since the domain name itself was not deserving that much, I replied I agree with the same. They replied thats great news and now all they need is a domain name valuation to show the amount is justified to their accounts department which will then release the money.
They also suggested they don’t trust the existing top valuation Private companies and they only trust an XYZ (name hidden) company for their domain name valuations. I followed the link and paid around $200 for the valuation. The result came in 2 hours saying my domain was worth $xx,xxx.
I forwarded the domain name valuation appraisal report to them. And here I am today, no reply from them even after 13 years, its 2018 now!
So here is how it works:
– You get an email out of the blue from someone who wants to buy your domain name. Not only that, but their opening offer is a good $x,xxx. Sweet!
– Don’t get too excited yet. The person offering you that huge chunk of change might be a scammer.
– The domain name appraisal scam has been active for many years, which unfortunately means it’s working. The scammer preys on your excitement about a big payday, only to get you to part with your own cash.
Email 1: The scammer emails you with an offer to buy your domain name.
Email 2: After you say you’re willing to sell the domain name, the scammer then makes a very high offer.
Email 3: When they ask you to get the appraisal from someone they know, that’s when you know you’re being scammed, because the person who sent you the email actually owns the so-called appraisal service!
How to catch them red-handed:
Simply search their email address (the one from which sent you the Email) in Google. Moreover, copy some lines from their email content or subject and just Google it. You will find someone else also complaining about the same company.
In any case, do not ever opt for their provided Appraisal link they send you, this is one of the oldest scams, which still exists!