The FBI sent out an alert today warning Americans of this danger. It said to watch out for spam emails and verify the legitimacy of non-profits before donating. According to the Associated Press, more than 400 domains related to the disaster have been registered since Monday. Most of them will likely be used for illegitimate purposes. Unfortunately, most of these scammers will probably never be tracked down and caught.

Photo | Flickr

The domains in question were used by organised criminal networks for scamming. Many contained fake online stores where consumers could order designer goods for low prices, but these people ended getting conned out of their money instead. The names are thought to have generated millions of pounds in revenue.

It’s great to see something being done about Internet fraud. Cyber criminals are often times very difficult to prosecute, but in this case the PCeU found a way it could take action with minimal effort.

Photo | Flickr

The victim will usually receive a seemingly polite and well-meaning email from a “domain name register center” in China. The message will mention the recipient’s domain, then reveal that a local company is trying to register the .cn or .com.cn version.

We are Shanghai Foo Network Information Technology Co.,which is the domain name register center in China.I have something need to confirm with you.

We have received an application formally.one company named “Bar (China) Investment Co.” applies for the domain names(www.example.cn www.example.com.cn etc.),and the Internet keyword(example) on the internet September 17,2009.We need to know the opinion of your company because the domain names and keyword may relate to the copyright of brand name on internet.

we would like to get the affirmation of your company,please contact us by telephone or email as soon as possible.

Needless to say, the goal of the email is to con the cybersquatting-paroid into buying a Chinese domain from the registrar. If you get a message like this in your inbox, delete it and go on your merry way.

Source | Tech Republic

Photo | ZaNuDa

Essentially what happens is a domain owner receives a legitimate-looking email from a prospective buyer. The sender tells the domain holder that he will buy it for a certain percentage of the appraisal price, and lists at least two places where the name can be appraised.

The person isn’t looking to buy the name, but is actually a domain appraisal service looking to get business. The emails will usually list two domain appraisal sites. One is legitimate, while the other is a cheaper service owned by the scammer. Since human beings are inherently cheap, victims inadvertently pay the scammer for an appraisal.

A number of sites are involved in the scam, the most recent of which is fleos.com. A quick WHOIS lookup shows the name is registered in Kuala Lumpur.

A visit to the domain, which is registered in Kuala Lumpur according to WHOIS, reveals a cookie-cutter site made out of stock Flash template. The price for an appraisal is £14, or $22.99 USD. Other sites also part of the scam are Pozde.com, NameOrange.com, TropicalNames.com, and FlyAppraisals.com.

It’s a shame to see people scammed, but at least large sums of money aren’t involved here. Remember, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

Photo | Flickr

Now the joint company has issued a press release declaring that 70 gTLDs are now available for preorder. Among the latest additions include .deal, .forsale, .free, .gay and .god. It continues to claim that 10,000 preorders are being made per day.

Keep in mind that none of the gTLDs have been approved by ICANN yet and there is no guarantee a preorder will be honored. After all, the company that buys the rights to the domain extension will be the one who handles registrations, not some fly-by-night operation.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the company is allowing multiple people to preorder the same name and no fees have to paid up front. So in essence the reservations mean nothing. The two registrars claim they are providing vital market research proving that demand for gTLDs exists, but even that is open to speculation because those reserving names, most of whom are likely speculators anyway, are required to make no commitment whatsoever.

If you are interested in preordering a gTLD, you would get better results by writing the name down on a sheet of paper, tucking it under your pillow, and waiting for the extension to be approved by ICANN and become available for registration.

Photo: Flickr