Beware of Liberty Names of America, Inc Invoices

It’s that time of the year again… time to renew some of my domain names. I own several hundred domains, between myself and my clients, so it’s a never ending task. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the deception that some companies go through to try and get you to switch to their services.  Today, I would like to warn you about one such company.

As usual, I got an invoice from Liberty Names of America, Inc. asking me to renew my domain name.  Why is this dishonest, you might ask?  Because I *own* a domain name registration company of my own, and have *never* done business with Liberty Names of America, Inc.  Not once, ever.  And yet several times a year, they send me an official looking invoice asking me to renew one or more of my domains with them.

I am not alone.  Millions of people get these deceptive letters, from the company above, as well as several others.  They do what is known as a “whois” on a domain name, get the contact information of the owner, and then send out an invoice, hoping to trick you into switching registrars.  My mom’s boss always gets these, and I would have to explain to him that no, I didn’t sell the company to them or anything else – and that he should just throw it away.

The invoice they sent me states:

Dear Green Web Design,

As a courtesy we would like to remind you that it is time to renew your odmain name which is expiring soon.   Failure to renew your domain name will result in losing exclusive rights to it on the web and losing access to your online presence.  By moving your domain name to Liberty Names of America you can take advantage of the savings we have to offer.  Your renewal will start from the day your domain name expires, even though you are signing up months earlier.

They then offer me a 1 year renewal for $29.99, or a 2 year renewal for $49, or a 5 year renewal for $94.

These prices are rediculous – at TheyreAllTaken.com, which is *my* domain name registration company, I pay the same price I charge my customers -  1 year for $7.99, 2 years for $15.95, 5 years for $39.95, or 10 years for $79.90.  What a huge difference in pricing!

So, if you get a letter from Liberty Names of America, Inc, don’t be fooled.  They are not your domain name company.  They are just trying to get you to switch to them.  You are likely paying less at your existing registrar.  And if you’re not, take a look at my website and consider switching.