The tag for my domain name has been changed without my permission

[singlefile]

I have a .co.uk domain name via a particular registrar and it is not due to expire until 2006

I have never had any contact about the name since registration and during a recent check of the forwarding and whois data pertaining to my collection, I found that whilst the registrant name is correct, the tag has been changed from that of my registrar!!!

The company that now have the tag for it, is one that I have hitherto not heard of, but a quick check tonight revealed that they happen to host the '.com' variant of the name - so it looks like a clear case of their hijacking of my .co.uk

What would you chaps recommend I do?

 

[stevie]

Contact your current TAG holder and ask them to release the domain to a trusted tag you know or use. Your current TAG holder should not object to doing this. If they do you can contact Nominet directly and they will move the TAG by request of the registrant.

from a forum point of view.. would be interested to know who the registrar was??

 

[singlefile]

Contact your current TAG holder and ask them to release the domain to a trusted tag you know or use. Your current TAG holder should not object to doing this. If they do you can contact Nominet directly and they will move the TAG by request of the registrant.

from a forum point of view.. would be interested to know who the registrar was??

Thank you.

I complained to Nominet and they sent me a standard £15 tag change info email ... the numpties. So, I have sent a reply to Nominet asking them to *kindly bother to read my email properly before replying* this time.

I have also tonight emailed the current and unrequested TAG holder, asking them to change the domain back to the 'My Registrar's' TAG. I further asked upon what authority the TAG was changed away from 'My Registrar's' as it certainly wasn't anything to do with me. I await their reply with interest.

I'll probably let you know [via a PM] who the current TAG holder is, once this has been resolved.

 

[domainer]

If you are saying that someone has changed a 123-REG tag without your permission then this is serious as I was under the impression that only the registrant could do this within the 123reg control panel.

Please keep us updated

 

[singlefile]

If you are saying that someone has changed a 123-REG tag without your permission then this is serious as I was under the impression that only the registrant could do this within the 123reg control panel.

Please keep us updated

This morning, 'My Registrar's' informed me that they changed it because they 'received a TAG change request fax,' seemingly from me, but quite obviously not! I've asked them to confirm the address on the fax that they claim to hav received, the number that it was sent from and produce the faxed document, as I wish to see the signature ... no reply yet.

I know the name and address of the corresponding '.com' owner who, almost certainly will be found to be behind this, so a report to the Police is not out of the question.

I'll keep updating this post as things unfold.

 

[domainer]

So you are saying 123-reg acted on a fax? I find this worrying and bizarre as domain owners have this type of control within the control panel.

Please keep us updated

 

[singlefile]

So you are saying 123-reg acted on a fax? I find this worrying and bizarre as domain owners have this type of control within the control panel.

Please keep us updated

The registrar did indeed appear to act on a fax. I received no confirmatory email asking for approval, nor anything signifying that the transfer was to proceed. The first that I knew about it, was when I checked the whois and fowarding settings for all of my domains recently. You never know, this could have happened to one or more of you and you've yet to find about it.

Amongst other things, I'll be asking my registrant for assurances that their procedures are tightened ...

 

[domaingenius]

Perhaps it is someone at 1-2-3 that is hoping to benefit himself in one way or tother ?.

DG

 

[ratboy]

Thats not good. It is worrying how easy some of these proceedures are to crack. If they can do that, can they alter your admin address, apply to Nominet and then change owner of the domain?

For those holding valuable domains its a worring prospect.

 

[singlefile]

Exactly - we're at more risk than we think. Unless you check the forwarding regularly, you wouldn't have a handle on anything naughty going on, for what potentially could be a long, long time.

I reckon that this fraudulent gobsh/te has cost me some £2-£3 per day [in 'lost' Sedo income as it's a decent traffic name] for a period anywhere up to the 16 months since I reg'd it and forwarded to Sedo ... perhaps some £1,000 'lost,' or rather, not earned, as a result.

BTW, the latest news is that my Registrar, "...cannot find the Transfer request fax" !!!

 

[EdPhillips]

Thats not good. It is worrying how easy some of these proceedures are to crack. If they can do that, can they alter your admin address, apply to Nominet and then change owner of the domain?

Well, its worth remembering that Nominet do some checks before accepting a transfer, and the transfer still has to be signed by the registrant (as listed in the "for" field that the tag-holder can't change). So there is some protection for .uk registrants in these sorts of cases, as even if someone has pursuaded your tag-holder to 'push' the tag over to someone else, the domain name still is listed in your name and they will have to trick Nominet too to change that.

 

[Admin]

Thank you for your input Ed.

 

[ratboy]

and the transfer still has to be signed by the registrant (as listed in the "for" field that the tag-holder can't change). So there is some protection for .uk registrants in these sorts of cases,

How do Nominet know what my signature looks like? I've never signed anything when I have registered a domain only when i sell.

I could sign it MickyMouse and it may/maynot be my real signature.

Johnny

 

[singlefile]

Sorted.

My registrar couldn't find the fax that they claim to have received, instructing them to change the TAG.

I said that I was not prepared to pay the fee to Nominet £15+VAT to have the TAG changed back to them ... I said that if I had to suffer the fee that I would seek recompense for all calculable loss, via Small Claims.

My registrar therefore thence offered to let me have 3Nr free renewals, which exceeds the £15+VAT, so I decided to accept that and leave it there, as far as any action against my registrar was concerned.

I now have complete control of the name.

I've sent an email to the .com owner, enquiring as to the reasons for his behaviour and assuring him that I shall 'kick his '@rse;' over this, in polite and legally sound figures of speech of course...

I'm not going to let this go and will now proceed to phase two: report to the Police, obtain a Crime Ref Nr etc. etc.

 

[domaingenius]

Hmm so you told him in advance that he is going to be getting a visit. And what do you think he will do in the meanwhile ,get rid of any evidence etc .

dg

 

[singlefile]

I've got the whois print out, showing the name on his tag and not mine, whilst my name is still shown as the registrant, I have copies of my resultant correspondence with Nominet and also from his registrar, confirming his identity and that he'd had my name tagged with them and controlled via tha account that he has with them, whilst it was still mine.

I doubt the police would do a dawn raid on his home over this, also so he's most likely binned/shredded anything that he had as soon as his registrar informed him of the Tag change for a name in his account.

I'm sure that you'll appreciate that he won't be able to get rid of the large amount of evidence that is outside of his control/reach so there's more than enough rope for me to hang him with methinks ...

 

[domaingenius]

Is it worth the hassle is another matter to consider.

DG

 

[singlefile]

Agreed DG.

Legal shenanigans are often not worth the effort. I'll probably get just as much satisfaction by phoning him up, revealing the full extent of my knowledge of him and then simply straightening one or two things out fully and finally over the 'phone.

I do have quick and free access to legal advice so I'll have to think it over over the next few weeks I guess, prior to making my move.

 

[domaingenius]

Agreed DG.

Legal shenanigans are often not worth the effort.

Believe me,I KNOW !. What you find is that the Police will
come around and probably they'll say theyve gotta take your computer etc etc etc, it aint worth it. Just tell him that next time he tries such a trick you will report him.

dg

 

[bb99]

Agreed that legal action of any form is just a massive ball ache.

But still, unless the person wot did it reads this forum, as far as he/she is concerned you are taking some form of legal action (be it police or whatever). So hopefully it will rattle their cage a bit.