I think it was the fake email. The registrar supposedly emailed me 3 times, but I didn't receive any of them. Why on earth they didn't email to me at the email address I bought the domains with is beyond me.
Yes this is scarey shite - 2 sites ranking for the same money phrase were hit - definitely a competitor realising this is a good way to get sites fucked out the way.
Get your house in order folks
At least I should be able to get them back.
Quote:
The domain was in violation of Invalid WHOIS information. When a registrar is notified by ICANN of such an offense we are required by law to follow the protocols in place by ICANN.
The person or persons that turned in your domain have absolutely nothing to do with our company. They notified us that your domain was contained invalid contact information. The full report we receive from ICANN is listed at the close of this email.
This report was turned in and validated by an individual at the ICANN corporation who then sent the report to the sponsoring registrar, ########. We are then required by them to follow through with contacting the client.
We have emailed you three times about this matter over the course of 15 days. An individual from our company had to manually verify the domain was in violation two seperate times for each of these notifications to be sent.
You have not completed all steps to update your information to true and valid information and then fax ########.com current documented proof of your valid contact information. All of these steps must be completed before the 15 days notice is up, or the domain is removed from your account.
ICANN asks that we delete domains after the 15 days. However, ######## offers you more time than this. It is our choice as a registrar to offer additional time to our customers for said offenses. You may still retain your domain name if you send valid proof of your contact information to us even after the domain has been removed from your account. We offer you approximately 2 months to update this information with us before we delete the domain (unless the domain is expired or expiring. We do not renew the domain for you.)
Real contact information is required by ICANN in order to generate accountability for what is placed on a domain by any entity registering a domain name. Many customers prefer to use their business address instead of their home information. As long as the information is correct, using your business address is not a problem.
The contact information of an individual who has registered a domain name is required to be legitimate contact information. This information is also required to be available to the public through the WHOIS database. According to ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers,) the governing body for the registration of domain names, a domain name registered by an entity providing invalid contact information is grounds for revocation of the registration of the domain name. They state that registrars 'should require not only that registrants respond to inquiries within 15 days but that the response be accompanied by documentary proof of the accuracy of the 'corrected' data submitted, and that a response lacking such documentation may be treated as a failure to respond.'
We must ask you to please send all these items to complete your Invalid WHOIS report so you do not lose your domain. ICANN has updated their WHOIS requirements and documented proof is no required.
1. a clear copy of your Photo ID 2. current, valid proof of the address you wish to list on your WHOIS information. (A PO box is fine, just show a valid document that lists this address in use with your name. If not in your name, get an authorized signature to sign off on the fact that they are allowing you to use their information and be responsible for your domain. A copy of a current bill mailed to this address is sufficient. 3. current, valid proof of the phone number you wish to list on the WHOIS information. (ICANN requires all domains have a valid, working, message taking phone number listed on their domain name. A current bill for this phone number will be sufficient proof.) 4. Verify that all your contacts in the account reported have been updated to valid and true information. So when our Abuse department attempts to complete the WHOIS verification on your account, there is no question as to the validity of the contact information you are using.
Here are the instructions to modify the contacts in your ######## account: 1. Click ?My Account? button on the first navigation bar at http://www.######.com and login with your username and password. 2. Click on the ?Customer Settings? button on the second navigation bar. 3. Click ?Contacts (this is the list of available contacts you have to set for your domains)' and also select the 'Account Information (account owner info)'. Each of these sections will have to be updated with any contact information changes you make. The next screen will list your current contact information. 4. Click on the contact name or information that you want to modify and update the information. 5. When finished, click the ?Update? button.
You can use alternative means of contact information if your anonymity is required in owning your domain addresses. Items such as http://www.alternativeidentity.com/ can be used to keep your information valid and keep your own identity a private matter.
Please update your information and fax to us proof of all your contacts for these domains to ##########. Please send your fax to the Attention of the Abuse Department.
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