Digging a little - it appears the domain was registered with Directi using a real address in Chicago until last summer. It's an unlisted number, but may have been a stolen identity. In any case, it would have been easy to establish whether it was a legitimate contact for the domain owner. In July 2009, it moved to a registrar called DomainContext, Inc. and used PrivacyProtect.org, a service linked to Directi. (I never was sure of the exact relationship -- Directi claims it will remove privacy protection within 48 hours if there are complaints, but I don't see that happening with domains registered with other registrars that use PrivacyProtect.org.)
DomainContext is listed as being in Delaware. Its phone number is an unlisted land line with XO Communications. XO offers VOIP, with the following enticement: "Ensure a professional image for your company no matter where your employees are working from." (And even if they end their sentences with prepositions.
) Domaincontext.com reports they don't accept Visa or Mastercard, but do accept WebMoney, PayPal, and YandexMoney. Their "About Us" doesn't sound like they had any native English speakers proofread it for them:
Quote:
About Us
DomainContext is the ICANN accredited registrar.
We can provide affordable prices for domain registration and appropriate technical support as we run our own platform and implemented effective business processes.
Benefits of our customers are the most vital part of our business since their achievements bring us success.
Our main policy is to provide clear pricing schemes.
Reselling program is one of our competetive advantages. This is not only most profitable offer with least prices for registering and renewing domain names but also very powerful tool to launch new business. We provide ready-to-use solution that will help you start up domain name reselling without prior investments.
Their street address, 501 Silverside Rd, Suite 105, Wilmington, DE, 19809 is shared by a variety of businesses, some of them fairly shady (fake term papers, get rich quick schemes) . It's a a service that provides a "US presence" to companies whose employees have never set foot in the US:
http://valisinternational.com/us-busine ... e-packagesQuote:
US Office & Mail Forwarding Service details
Your US Office (Real Office, not a PO Box):
Your Company Name
501 Silverside Rd Ste 105
Wilmington, DE 19809
USA
* Registration: Company Registration: 1 company and 2 officers of the company can be registered to receive mail. Personal registration: You and your spouse can be registered to receive mail.
* Frequency: Once a week your mail will be repackaged and forwarded to the address you supply us.
If the address looks familiar, it's because we've encountered it before:
viewtopic.php?p=21580#p21580Other small registrars are using the same address. (It must make it convenient for ICANN -- they can send notices for all those registrars bundled together I suppose.
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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:41 am 
