Back in the 1980s, many consumers were faced with a problem known as telephone slamming. This term refers to an illegal practice that involved altering the subscriber’s phone service without their authorization or consent. The issue of telephone slamming became more evident once the telecommunications industry was deregulated in the mid 80s, particularly following the brutal wars over prices among the major providers. Once the millennium rolled around and the internet rose to prominence, a similar practice called domain slamming began to rear its ugly head. Domain slamming involves a third-party company sending a domain owner a notification, typically via fax or email, that appears to be a renewal notice, but is actually a solicitation to purchase something from the sender. Let’s say you receive a notification indicating that it is time to pay a bill to renew your domain name. If you are someone who is busy or simply wants to protect their online identity, you just may go ahead and comply to get it out of the way. What you did not notice is the somewhat cryptic writing in the contract you signed that essentially authorized the company to charge you for its products or services. This is a common scenario that has occurred a countless number of times. Types of Domain Slamming For the most part, domain slamming happen is conducted in three ways. These types are as follows: Misleading Invoices- Some of the more unscrupulous registrars commit domain slamming just to obtain new customers. They send you a bill that appears to come from your existing provider, but it is indeed and order form that once completed, switches you over to their service. Wrong TLD – Perhaps your domain is registered with .com TLD, but you are receiving renewal invoices for .biz., .net and a host of other extensions. This should raise a red flag immediately. If you do require domains in these extensions, purchase them directly from your current registrar and don’t fall for the bait in the email. Additional Services - In this scenario, the bill actually has the correct domain listed, but is aggressively marketing services that could supposedly benefit you. Since the proposal is likely originating via spam, this company probably does not qualify as the best option for your needs. If you are interested in what hey have to offer, perform an online search and find a reputable service that can provide the same thing without running the risk of being duped into purchasing something you do not want. More Warning Signs By now, most of us realize that registering a domain name should only cost about $10 per year. However, the fees charged by domain slammers are usually considerably higher. Prices like this should instantly trigger a red flag. Another obvious sign is receiving notification via fax or snailmail. Virtually every registrar on the market will only send information regarding your domain name by email. You are probably approached in this manner quite frequently, but it is all about knowing how to recognize the tricks and having the smarts to avoid them. | 
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