Phishing Attack -Beware Of Fake GoDaddy.com Email

Beware. A very good phishing email is being sent out by some entity claiming to be Godaddy.com. The email is an exact copy of an email that Godaddy regularly send out for Icann review notices. When you click on the link in the email it takes you to a carbon copy of a Godaddy.com page however the Url contains godaiddiy.com not godaddy.com. The sender is trying to catch your user name and password. I will not include the full link as I do not want anyone to use it by accident. FYI Going to the main domain home page will not show the fraudulent site. I just spoke with Godaddy.com and they confirmed it and are trying to get the site taken down ASAP.

Do These Guys Deserve to Go To Jail?

The are many comparisons to the following story and domaining.

It seems a company called Wiseguys Tickets Inc. figured out a way to beat Ticketmaster and other ticket vendors the moment tickets went on sale (think of domains dropping). Wiseguys set up an elaborate automated system to go after these names so they could get multiple amounts of tickets (think domains) and then resell them at a higher value. The ticketing companies had tried to stop this type of automation by using Captcha (random words that have to be retyped in) and limiting the amount of tickets any one person could buy. Wiseguys was one step ahead of them by figuring out how to beat the Captcha’s and setting up various companies to buy the tickets. These methods turned out to be very profitable for Wiseguys as it is reported that they made over $25 million over the few years that they have been doing this. Why do I think that the ticket companies are going after these guys?. Plain and simple, It’s about money. Recently ticket vendors have set up or partnered with resale sites so that the ticket vendors and the artists could make more money by selling the same type of tickets that Wiseguy sold (think registrar auctions and domain drop auctions). So do these wiseguys deserve to go to jail or should more oversight be placed on the ticket vendors (registrars) ?

Here is a link to one of the articles regarding Wiseguys.

This Week’s Sedo Sales Led by Thinkpoint.com at $25,000

Let’s take a look at the list from Sedo . Thinkpoint.com led it with a $25,000 sale. Underdog.co.uk went for approx. 23k USD. 2 3 letter .com’s went for about 15k each. Candiedapple and it’s plural went for 10k each. IrishLottery.com was also a nice pickup at 10k
.
Here is the full list:
Domain name Price Currency

.Coms
thinkpoint.com 25,000 USD
yoogo.com 20,000 USD
companybook.com 15,000 EUR
otn.com 15,000 USD
orn.com 14,002 USD
keukens.com 13,000 USD
filmweb.com 12,500 USD
bingocity.com 12,000 USD
cfainstitute.com 11,500 USD
econnex.com 11,250 USD
irishlottery.com 10,000 USD
superplumbing.com 10,000 USD
communic8.com 10,000 USD
candiedapple.com 10,000 USD
candiedapples.com 10,000 USD
english-essay.com 8,100 USD
tsolar.com 7,900 USD
dealday.com 7,500 EUR
venturenet.com 6,500 USD
dcity.com 6,200 USD
adiyo.com 6,000 USD
accessoriesdirect.com 5,900 EUR
lfw.com 5,850 USD
algerien.com 5,600 EUR
goused.com 5,500 USD
irw.com 5,300 USD
salonworld.com 5,000 USD
wirepartner.com 4,500 USD
greendocs.com 4,500 USD
chartercheck.com 3,500 EUR
spongy.com 3,100 USD
culturefoot.com 3,000 EUR
screencell.com 3,000 USD
treemail.com 3,000 GBP
fosm.com 3,000 USD
trecho.com 3,000 EUR
abroadband.com 3,000 USD
klab.com 3,000 EUR
robbed.com 3,000 USD
amateurnight.com 3,000 USD
relatie.com 2,850 EUR
mansguide.com 2,788 USD
warlegends.com 2,588 USD
stromtankstelle.com 2,550 EUR
kieferorthopäde.com 2,500 EUR
ibackgammon.com 2,500 USD
automotiveads.com 2,500 USD
megaconcursos.com 2,500 EUR
apassionata.com 2,500 GBP
giftwishes.com 2,500 USD
inseo.com 2,200 EUR
topsupplements.com 2,100 USD
vitaminsminerals.com 2,100 USD
cabshare.com 2,050 USD
büroteknik.com 2,000 EUR
freshgear.com 2,000 USD
fnvfireworks.com 2,000 USD
cotilleos.com 2,000 EUR
maxitpawn.com 2,000 USD
acubalance.com 2,000 USD
4dad.com 1,995 USD
marshillchurch.com 1,888 USD
stylebistro.com 1,888 USD
lumine.com 1,850 USD
controllight.com 1,800 USD
etravelsite.com 1,800 USD
onlinegym.com 1,750 USD
sausageroll.com 1,667 GBP
tierhalterhaftpflicht.com 1,650 EUR
adultvibrators.com 1,650 USD
navigationssysteme.com 1,500 EUR
exdoc.com 1,500 EUR
allpropertymangement.com 1,500 USD
factordirect.com 1,500 USD
eyeo.com 1,500 USD
conteks.com 1,500 USD
movies-links.com 1,500 USD
inuni.com 1,500 USD
worldoffantasy.com 1,400 USD
freshcash.com 1,300 USD
pokerster.com 1,250 USD
bijo.com 1,250 USD
hostfox.com 1,249 USD
tuerkei-reisen.com 1,200 EUR
bluez.com 1,200 USD
omniprix.com 1,200 USD
businessplansolutions.com 1,191 USD
gazo.com 1,161 USD
infurn.com 1,100 EUR
7z7.com 1,050 USD
cegu.com 1,031 EUR
fakebooks.com 1,000 USD
plastic-design.com 1,000 EUR
ledtagfahrlicht.com 1,000 EUR
seonyc.com 1,000 USD
snackrun.com 1,000 USD
mymoney360.com 1,000 USD
shareshack.com 999 USD
smoothiesrecipe.com 999 USD
uk-singles.com 995 USD
icloudhosting.com 979 USD
atlantalocksmiths.com 950 USD
planifica.com 900 EUR
healthtalkonline.com 900 USD
gayroulette.com 900 USD
machine-cafe.com 888 USD
doniger.com 845 USD
ams-group.com 840 EUR
iamnatural.com 801 USD
ninjachicken.com 800 USD
checkmobile.com 800 USD
myflipflop.com 800 USD
infinity3d.com 750 USD
finanzprofi.com 750 EUR
bikeparkguide.com 750 EUR
cargames2.com 750 USD
bestdietsupplements.com 750 USD
myteenspace.com 750 USD
mirumbalatina.com 701 USD
walk2campus.com 700 USD
downundersaddlesupply.com 700 USD
swearbox.com 700 USD
ruve.com 700 USD
onlinebrochures.com 700 USD
inois.com 700 USD

ccTLDs
underdog.co.uk 15,000 GBP
schwerhörigkeit.ch 7,500 EUR
maklermanager.de 5,950 EUR
laimprenta.es 5,000 EUR
10elotto.it 5,000 EUR
iow.co.uk 5,000 GBP
zeichentrick.tv 5,000 EUR
bioobst.de 4,500 EUR
citytour.de 4,500 EUR
gebrauchtwagenportal.de 4,000 EUR
total-lokal.de 4,000 EUR
viaggiamo.it 3,550 EUR
deutsche-makler.de 3,333 EUR
ehz.eu 3,300 EUR
immocap.de 3,200 EUR
foredragsholder.dk 2,500 USD
lottery.cm 2,500 USD
ukvisas.co.uk 2,500 GBP
funphone.de 2,380 EUR
mattresses.co.za 2,301 USD
questions.fr 2,300 EUR
screenwriting.co.uk 2,300 USD
games-downloaden.de 2,200 EUR
fitnessstore.de 2,100 EUR
nf.de 2,000 EUR
telepoint.fr 2,000 EUR
vermögensschutz.de 2,000 EUR
p.tl 2,000 USD
mpx.co.uk 2,000 GBP
rohstoffe.org 1,900 EUR
küchen.eu 1,800 EUR
zooomrent.de 1,800 EUR
events24.co.uk 1,800 GBP
mensshop.de 1,770 EUR
wand-tattoos.de 1,750 EUR
forex-basics.de 1,700 EUR
bookings.ws 1,600 USD
onlinetraffic.de 1,600 EUR
meinsol.de 1,599 EUR
vwe.pl 1,500 EUR
bagel.co.uk 1,500 GBP
touch.pro 1,500 USD
webanalyticsforum.de 1,500 EUR
xn--wrocaw-6db.eu 1,383 EUR
pastry.co.uk 1,350 GBP
bueroservice24.de 1,312 EUR
ciesse.it 1,300 EUR
graaf.nl 1,250 EUR
globe.eu 1,250 EUR
suntan.co.uk 1,250 GBP
invomat.de 1,200 EUR
businesscashadvance.co.uk 1,199 GBP
razoo.co.uk 1,199 GBP
urlaubsmacher.de 1,150 EUR
working-holiday.de 1,100 EUR
hardhat.co.uk 1,000 EUR
4story.com.es 1,000 EUR
grusskarten-24.de 1,000 EUR
sapo.cc 1,000 USD
primazahn.de 1,000 EUR
pandoracharms.co.uk 1,000 GBP
xplay.co.uk 1,000 EUR
maleescorts.co.uk 1,000 GBP
raffle.me 1,000 USD
thinkstock.de 990 EUR
doxx.de 990 EUR
mku.eu 960 EUR
cmb.de 960 EUR
icad.eu 950 EUR
hotelmaximilian.de 912 EUR
urlaubsangebote.at 900 EUR
equal.be 900 EUR
tennant.co.uk 900 GBP
onedirect.cn 850 USD
cheapmattresses.co.uk 850 EUR
weiss-was.de 800 EUR
autorenlexikon.de 800 EUR
bowling-treff.de 780 EUR
xxl.cn 750 EUR
zeusmann.de 750 EUR
halogen-heaters.co.uk 750 GBP
titane.fr 700 EUR
platos.es 700 EUR
saftbar.de 700 EUR
deutschland-security.de 700 EUR

Other
islamonline.org 11,111 USD
uvc.org 7,140 USD
fahrraeder.org 4,001 EUR
aimer.net 3,741 USD
cnil.net 3,000 EUR
kleinkredit.org 2,500 EUR
heuschnupfen.org 2,261 EUR
businessadministration.org 2,000 USD
casinogaming.net 2,000 USD
hmg.info 1,750 USD
nounou.net 1,600 USD
spiritualite.org 1,588 USD
wcit2008.org 1,540 USD
wlw.mobi 1,500 USD
smartphones.info 1,500 EUR
bokhandel.net 1,400 EUR
dreirad.org 1,390 EUR
sicherheitsdienst.net 1,300 EUR
partyparty.net 1,250 USD
hybridautos.net 1,200 EUR
bootycall.net 1,175 USD
artweb.net 1,000 EUR
lightspeed.info 1,000 EUR
icwe2006.org 895 USD
myco2.info 825 GBP
romancing.org 800 USD
riesenrad.info 750 EUR
toilet.net 750 USD
handelsvertreter.org 700 EUR
myproperty.asia 700 USD

HUGE Deals Will Be Happening Real Soon

My head is starting to spin. Is this 2007 or 2010? All the talk has been about lower ppc revenue, less money be earned by domainers and what else can be done to stimulate revenue. One would assume that domains and domain companies would be in bad shape. Well, Thats definitely not the case. Poker.org is just 1 of many big deals that I hear from trusted sources that are in process. One big deal ( I’m sorry i meant HUGE deal) that I know of will make people think we are back in the golden days. Well, maybe we are.

Sex.com at Foreclosure Auction?

I just noticed that Elliot Silver posted on his blog that there was going to be a foreclosure auction for the domain sex.com. For years I have seen the domain change formats many times but it seems that nothing they tried worked sufficiently to pay off debt.

The auction PDFis listed here.
What amounts do you think they will get for the name?

Yahoo and Microsoft Receive Regulatory Clearance To Form Search Alliance

Yahoo today announced that all systems are go to combine with Microsoft to form a Search Alliance. Their plan is to have they the transition completed either late 4th quarter of 2010 or early 2011. Obviously the concern for all domainer’s is how will revenue be effected by the change. Here is a copy of the announcement:

Yahoo! and Microsoft have now received regulatory clearance to form a search alliance. This is a significant milestone and an exciting first step in our combined effort to innovate search and search advertising, and drive better results for our partners.

What’s Ahead
We’re committed to making this transition as seamless and beneficial to you as possible, minimizing the effort on your end. Our aim is a high quality transition of advertisers and partners in at least the US prior to the 2010 holiday season. However, we may wait until 2011 if we determine this will be more effective. Approximately three months before any changes occur, we’ll provide you with detailed information about what to expect and how we’ll assist you.

How the Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance Will Benefit You
Once implemented, the Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance will provide you with:

Better Monetization
• Advertisers will reach up to 150 million searchers1 and get approximately 62% more search volume2 than on Yahoo! alone through a new, unified search marketplace combining the Yahoo! and Microsoft networks.
• Better value for advertisers will likely drive increased participation through increased budgets, more competitive bids, and new keywords added to campaigns.
• This, in turn, will create more advertiser competition for placement and broader keyword coverage, resulting in potentially better monetization for you.

A Stronger Relationship
• Forging strong relationships with publishers like you is absolutely essential to Yahoo!’s success. Through this transition and beyond, your Yahoo! contact will be there to guide you and answer any questions.
• Yahoo! will continue to help you drive your business objectives, from custom implementation and user interface consultation, to first-class customer service and overall revenue optimization.

More Rapid Innovation
• A unified search marketplace creates greater scale than either Yahoo! or Microsoft has today, enabling both companies to more rapidly innovate on the overall search experience and platform selection of ads, to ultimately drive better results for you.
• Beyond search, we will focus more time and resources on innovation in content, mobile, and display advertising, to improve and expand partner offerings to help keep your users loyal and engaged.

We appreciate your business and look forward to bringing the benefits of the Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance to you.

ArtDealer.com Leads the Sales For Snapnames Mardi Gras Auction

Artdealer.com, which was on of 3 names that I highlighted as my best bets, took the honors as the largest sale at the snapnames/domainfest auction. A total of 35 domains sold. Please let me know your thoughts on the auction and which domain you think was the best buy of the auction.

Here is the complete sales list:

Domain Name Price
3x.org $2,000.00
artdealer.com $14,030.00
badloans.org $375.00
camcordersforsale.com $300.00
cashondelivery.com $300.00
colorcartridges.net $300.00
crispyduck.com $600.00
dmox.com $300.00
drugfreelife.com $300.00
exerciseplans.com $1,606.00
foldupbeds.com $300.00
forextradingtool.com $586.00
hotjobs.in $300.00
ilovenyc.com $2,200.00
modernkitchenfurniture.com $300.00
movethis.com $375.00
mrcredit.net $300.00
mybp.com $400.00
myreversemortgage.com $1,950.00
pooltablerepair.com $300.00
pooping.net $300.00
posing.net $360.00
redlips.com $1,716.00
samedayloan.net $300.00
savemoney.biz $300.00
shortsleeveshirts.com $702.00
softmusic.com $3,530.00
t4.org $1,000.00
tennisshops.com $300.00
ticketplus.com $2,155.00
vpfp.com $300.00
webfootball.com $437.00
weddinggiftshops.com $300.00
womensbags.com $500.00
yogurtmaker.com $2,300.00

Google Starts a New Product And Guess Who Owns The .Com

While I was using Google today, I stumbled on a Google product that I have not seen before. All new Google products start in beta. However, since I did not see this new service yet on it’s “more Google products” page, it must be in double secret beta or possibly a sub service of a Google service such as Maps. The product is called “Favorite Places”. According to Google’s site describing the service :

“We’ve identified over 100,000 businesses in the U.S. as “Favorite Places on Google” based on Google users’ interaction with local business listings. Each business is receiving a window decal with a unique QR code that you scan with your phone to read reviews, star the business as your own favorite and more. Check out a few of the favorites below, and try scanning a code”.

The domain FavoritePlaces.com has always been travel related and will continue to be so. How do I know that. I own the .com

Another Huge Domain Name In Bankruptcy Court

I keep a list of domains on my desk. These are domains that I would like to get. I go to that list every few days and pick out 1 or 2 and send a quick email. Recently, one of the domains that I sent an email to, came back as undeliverable. So I took the next step and called the phone number associated in the whois with the domain. This time a get a message that the phone is no longer working. The next step was to google the company. That produces many links regarding the firm going bankrupt. I try to find out where in the bankruptcy process the assets are (include the domain name). Unfortunately it just leads to dead ends. I give it it one last effort and contact a lawyer that I found who was once associated with the firm. As we talk he says that he recently received an email regarding the disposal of assets. He no longer had that email but remembered the name of the firm handling it and gave that information to me.

I called the entity that the lawyer gave me and left a message. I received a return phone call later that day. My heart pumped as I waited to hear if the domain had been sold. IT HAD NOT. He immediately asks me to sign an NDA before he can release further info. After faxes back and forth I wait to hear more about the name. In my head I’m thinking that if it was this hard for me to find out about this, there are probably very few bidders. The phone rings. I listen to them and anxiously await the price of the domain. Will it be $25k , 50 k, less , more? The number then flow out of his mouth that to get the name right now it would cost just short of a million dollars. I was not expecting that to be the number. Is it worth it, I’m not sure, but its very industry specific. As of now, I sit on the sidelines trying to figure out the best way to get this name at a reasonable price. If not for the NDA, I would mention the name. I will keep you informed as I know more.

One Last Post Regarding The Playboy Mansion

Many people read playboy for the articles. Some go to party’s at the playboy mansion strictly for the food and networking. I can honestly say that Domainers do not fit either of those statements. The party this year was for one thing – just having fun. After a amazing group of seminars and great networking, it was time to enjoy the night. Many of us simply were there to enjoy the modern art, which turned out to be many young models that were only wearing painted bikinis.. I must say hanging out in the grotto was an interesting experience. For the short time I was there having a drink with a few friends, there was one young domainer who entered and left 3 times with 3 different girls. Sorry , cant give further details. My favorite line of the night was one I read from on facebook from another domainer. That domainer was at the bar near a conversation between another domainer and a young model. He was asked old he was. The domainer said 39, The model shot back ” Oh, I should introduce you to my mother.”

After the party was over many domainers headed to clubs or to parties at the Hotel (thanks Ammar). I read in Eliot Silver’s blog his story about going clubbing with Ron Jeremy and Justin Brescia of “The Hills”.

All in all amazing night and week.