Domain names are getting stolen more often than what you think.
The bad news: The domain name Ward.com was stolen, and sold for $2,999 dollars on Sedo by the thief.
And now for the good news: Ward.com was reunited with its legitimate owners, and it’s back in their control, after a successful retrieval by its registrar, a reseller of eNom.
After speaking with the owner, Stephen Ward, an IT professional, he confirmed that the publicized sale was unlawful, while Mrs. Ward, a realtor, referred to the thief as a “very good hacker.”
The owners have received many offers in the past for Ward.com, and they aren’t planning to sell the domain name, as it’s their last name and it has been in use since its registration, in 1994.
We aren’t sure who bought the domain name on Sedo, but they are out of luck.
According to DomainTools, Ward.com was hijacked on October 24th, by a person with an Egyptian address and the email “SP34R@YAHOO.COM”.
Several days passed before the owners realized that no emails arrived, as usual. They contacted their registrar, who was already in the process of reclaiming the domain.
This seems to be a textbook case of domain hijacking via email phishing, and another cautionary tale about not buying domains without first confirming ownership!
This post is 100% true!
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Will the buyer be refunded?
Did the “seller/thief” make off with the funds?
If so, will Sedo eat the loss?
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Ms Domainer – So far there is no information about the buyer. I would assume that it’s too early to tell if funds were dispatched to the thief, or if Sedo still has them. One thing is certain: the domain is in the hands of its legitimate owners.
Andy pointed this out to Ron when he posted on DNJournal stating there must of been a mistake selling this 4 letter word for $3k!
James – Most of us thought alike, thank goodness for DomainTools historic WHOIS!