Beware of domain name sales practices

A trend in recent times has sprouted concerning businesses attempting to sell existing domain name holders the .eu equivalent of their domain name for a high price and lure them into a multi-year contract. Holders of certain extensions throughout Europe seem to be the most impacted, but all domain name holders should be on alert.

In short, the businesses in question call or email their target domain name holder in a very genuine way, playing the role of trademark protectionists by claiming they have received an application from a third party to register their domain name with the .eu extension. Once the contacted domain name holder shows interest, they utilise high-pressure sales tactics to close the deal. Once closed, in most cases the domain name is registered in a name other than their own. The holder then receives an invoice to finalise the purchase.

If you have fallen victim to this malpractice, we urge you to file a complaint with competent authorities in your country.

Should you reside in Belgium, you can file a complaint with the Federal Public Service of Belgium at meldpunt.belgie.be.

Should you be interested in registering a .eu domain name, always consult your EURid accredited registrar directly or search our EURid accredited registrar list to find one.