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Businesses warned of internet registry scam

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Businesses warned of internet registry scam

09.09.2008
Irish businesses are being warned not to fall for a scam from a company calling itself Internet Register Ireland.

Internet Register Ireland is a trading name used by a German company called DAD Deutscher Adressdienst GmbH.

If a business signs and sends back the letter it receives from DAD Deutscher Adressdienst GmbH, it will be liable for a sum of €958 for a listing in their directory, as well as entering into a three-year contract.

Similar directory scams have already resulted in company closures in Switzerland. Under these scams, businesses that sign up are pursued by overseas debt collection agencies.

Last year, the Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries warned how a similar scam occurred in Belgium, where DNS BE was contacted by concerned citizens who received a letter with ‘Belgian Internet Registry’ as the heading.

“The letter invites them to verify their company and website addresses in order to subscribe to a Belgian Internet Registry after an annual payment of €958. DNS BE insists on the fact that this company has no link whatsoever with DNS BE and is not a accredited registrar of DNS BE.”

Likewise, Irish businesspeople are complaining of receiving similar letters in the name of Internet Register Ireland, which ask for an annual payment of €958 in return for appearing in a directory.

In 2005, a Dublin barber allegedly received a death threat from a so-called European City Guide demanding €800 to €900 for his firm’s appearance on a CD-ROM.

Conor Dalgarno, managing director of internet domain reseller and services company Silkweb Design, told siliconrepublic.com that some of his clients have received the letters from the so-called Internet Register Ireland.

He said the letters are well-presented and consist of a business reply envelope that “really does look the part.”

Dalgarno said the .ie Domain Registry (IEDR) has been informed of the letters and said it will be issuing a warning.

“We would urge any businesspeople who receive such letters to get in touch with the IEDR, who will refer them to a list of bona fide .ie domain name resellers,” he said.

By John Kennedy