Re: Something is amiss...

that happened to me last year--someone actually registered the domain name within 15 minutes of my having researched it on register.com. and i guess you could say the name was somewhat unusual what with its having been my personal first and last name followed by "dot com". and my real name isn't that common.

because it was my actual name, i was able to get it at the regular rate...after some squabbling that is.

and i don't know how it all happened, because the charge for the initial hijacking was charged to my own credit card. but at the time i was also purchasing airline tickets online and, in the process, had to re-enter my cc information during that session. i thought perhaps i had a keylogger or something, so that's when i installed the industrial version of zone alarm (of whose praises i have sung previously). but i'll never be sure how my own name was registered to someone else within 15 minutes of my having researched it using MY amex information.

not very clarifying, i guess. but i sure can sympathize.
renee

> Hey Everyone,

> I am feeling a lot better today and am actually online and working on
> things a little. On that note I had targeted a new domain; something with
> an unusual name but I already had plans for it.

> I searched to see if the domain was available and confirmed that it was.
> Because it was a somewhat unusual name I did not feel that I needed to
> nail it right away; I planned on coming back online later in the day and
> paying for the new domain as well as a logo.

> I came back online and my unusual domain name was registered. By enom, a
> domain service that basically buys them and sells them. The asking price;
> $200.

> There is only one way that this company would know that someone was
> interested in this domain; godaddy must have somehow marked it as a domain
> that someone was interested in.

> To this point I haven't ever lost a domain in such a way. And I never felt
> that it was urgent that I find and register at the same time, especially
> when the name is sort of obscure.

> I learned a lot this afternoon:

> 1. When you locate it, register it.

> 2. Godaddy is watching and may attempt to profit on domains that people
> show an interest in.

> 3. There are always other even better names available. (I knew this one
> already but wanted to toss it out there anyway)

> In the end I registered an even shorter name. They can take their $200
> domain and put it where sunshine doesn't shine except on nudey beaches.
> (nice way for me to put it)

> Has anyone else ever experienced this sort of situation? If someone other
> than a profit-making entity had registered the domain I would assume that
> someone else had the same great idea that I had. But in this case I think
> it is obvious; Godaddy shares search info and enom jumps on domain names
> that people have specifically asked for. Before this little episode I
> would never have believed it but this domain name being nailed by a domain
> broker speaks volumes about how Godaddy makes some back door profits for
> themselves.

> Thoughts?