HOST cannot guarantee protection against domain name franking; no one can.
The domain registration must be paid when the domain is requested to protect your investment. The payment must have time to process. It may be a good strategy to purchase the desired domain name before purchasing hosting for that domain.
There are many ways to obtain a domain through sniping. Some of the most common methods are listed below.
Someone else may have registered the domain name before you, and the domain still shows as available when you check its availability.
It often happens that someone applies for a domain registration but does not make payment right away. In that case, anyone else can register the domain name and get it before you register it.
It is also possible after searching for available domain names on another website that registers domains. Some of these registrars are unethical and have been known to steal domain ideas and then auction the domain for a much higher price.
Remember: you can trust HOST to never attack any domain you query. We are a trusted registrar and will remain so. Do not hesitate to use our tools and services to search for your potential domain names.
How to prevent domain name sniping?
Fortunately, ICANN tries to discourage this practice by limiting the amount of domain name refunds allowed by a registrar. If the domain cannot be refunded, the rogue registrar is less likely to risk your money.
We strongly recommend using https://hostingcode.net/hosting/ to search for available domain names to avoid domain sniping.
Here are some tips to protect your domain name.
- Make sure you renew your domain name on time
Keeping your domain from expiring is one of the best ways to maintain ownership of your domain. As the domain owner, you are responsible for your domain name. Here at HOST you have the option to automatically renew your domain within your Customer Portal. We strongly recommend keeping Auto Renew ON to ensure you receive notification of your domain's expiration date. If you disable the auto-renewal feature, you will need to manually renew your domain at the appropriate time. Otherwise, you may lose your domain once it expires without your knowledge.
- Keep your WHOIS information up to date
Important updates and notifications, such as domain expiration, are being sent to your WHOIS email address. To ensure you receive the expiration notification, you will need to keep your contact information up to date. Find out how to update your domain contact information in the Client Area.
- Lock your domain
Yes, domain locking is a security feature that prevents unauthorized transfer of your domain. You also have the ability to manage this in your customer portal. By default, your domain lock feature is ON; however, you may need to turn it off temporarily for some reason. If that is the case, you should pay attention to this crucial feature and remember to re-enable it once you are done.
- Enabling domain privacy
Domain privacy plays an important role in protecting your domain's personal and business contact information (WHOIS) from prying eyes. Maintaining the privacy of your WHOIS contact information (which includes your name, address, email address and phone number) also reduces the risks of being a target of "Domain Sniping".
- Ignore domain-related spam messages.
Suppose you forgot to enable your domain privacy, or maybe your email address was already captured by domain snipers before you enabled your domain privacy. You may receive spam messages from these domain snipers, whose intention is to manipulate you with their solicitation emails, threats, etc. If this happens, you can block these domain snipers or report them to your email provider or HOST.
- Be vigilant!
As a domain owner, you are responsible for your domain and your domain name is yours for a reason. You have worked hard to strengthen the value and ranking of your domain. You are provided with the tools to keep your domain name safe. Be aware of your domain expiration date, keep your domain contact information private, and make sure all security features (Privacy and Domain Lock) on your portal are enabled for your domain. They were created to protect your domain from these domains.
