Beware of thieves with positive trust at Flippa.com
Three weeks ago, Flippa – the up and coming domain marketplace – updated its set of rules and regulations, introducing tighter security over domain ownership confirmation.
Following a string of sales of stolen domains on Flippa.com it was an expected move by the Australia-based startup.
Unfortunately, there is simply no way to automate ownership verification of domains; a seller with little feedback can still easily sell domains he has control over even if they are stolen.
Such is the case for the domains YCI.NET, 6GJ.COM, CQWO.COM, FW9.COM, and YH9.COM that were sold as a package for a mere $700.
The seller’s account was just one day old when the sale occurred, and the domains appear to have had various WHOIS info. That should always be a warning sign that something fishy is going on.
Apparently the GoDaddy account that contained these domains was compromised; selling several domains together at a cheap price often indicates that the whole lot is “red hot” and the thief wishes to get rid of it as soon as possible.
The unfortunate buyer of these domains received threats from various sources after the deal was completed; it’s to be expected that the domains have legitimate owners who are irate over losing their domain names.
Meanwhile, Flippa announced the availability of “dual listings” – the ability, in other words, of listing domains on Flippa.com alongside other marketplaces – as long as it’s a sale that welcomes private offers versus a public auction.
Let’s hope that Flippa.com enforces some strict measures in place to combat domain fraud as well.
