I got this email yesterday:
Dear Sir
We received a formal application from a company who is called Meiao Investment Co.,Ltd are applying to register “ oryxdigital” as their domain name and Internet keyword in China and also in Asia on Apr 17 2008. During our auditing procedure we find out that the alleged Meiao Investment Co.,Ltd has no trade mark, brand nor patent even similar to that word. As authorized anti-cybersquatting organization we hereby suspect the alleged Meiao Investment Co.,Ltd to be a domain grabber. Hence we need you confirmation for two things,
First of all, whether this alleged Meiao Investment Co.,Ltd is your business partner or distributor in China.
Secondly, whether you are interested in registering these domains. (The alleged Meiao Investment Co.,Ltd will be entitled to obtain a domain not needed by original trademark owner.)
If you are not in charge of this please transfer this email to appropriate dept.
This is a letter for confirmation. If the mentioned third party is your business partner or distributor in China please DO NOT reply. We will automatically confirm application from your business partner after this audit procedure.
Bst Rgs
chenllychen
Registration Commissioner
Beijing HA ZD Networks Science and Technology Co., Ltd
Tel: +86-10-82772601
Fax: +86-10-82773610
Email:chenlly.chen@ha-zd.com
Http://www.ha-zd.com.cn
Needless to say, it’s yet another scam. The “Meiao Investment Co” (if they even exist) have no interest in my domain. I am guessing the scammer just wants me to pay good money for a worthless .cn domain. Sigh. More details here.
Hopefully somebody Googling “Meiao Investment Co” or “ha-zd.com” will find this post and save themselves a few dollars.
I even have not time to read things like that
Hi Andy,
I’ve been getting those too.
It’s pretty easy and ingenious if you think about it. First getting the list of emails is as being a registrar (getting the whois for all those domains might be problematic). Second, you’re preying on the fear of chinese hackers, customizing the message to your domain!
I bet you the effectiveness of this spam is very high in comparison to the other junk.
I regularly get snail mail from a certain domain registrar in the US (I’m in Oz) who has (in red bold type at the top) Final Notice, your domain us due to expire. It may be lost if you do not renew now! Of course they aren’t my domain registrar and my domains aren’t up for renewal, but you’ve got to wonder how many folks fall for this.
“Domain registry of America” by any chance? I get those.
I also know a fellow microISV that admitted he fell for one of these letters. He is a smart guy, but we all make mistakes.
Very smart scam, thank you very much for your posting. I think most people would be concerned at protecting their trademark & I thank you once again for confirming that we thought it might be a scam
These mails seems to be getting a lot more common lately and my customers have started reporting them to me.
My friends in China assure me that the scam is all to do with selling domain names by applying a bit of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt in the minds of the recipients and that it has very little to do with harvesting emails, but who knows for sure.
Here is another similar email I received on 07-May-08:
Dear PerfectTablePlan.:
We are Beijing Invees Network Science and Technology Co.,Ltd which is the domain name re gister center in China. We received a formal application from a company who is applying to register “perfecttableplan” as their domain name and Internet keyword on May.6th, 2008. Because this involved your company name or trade marks so we inform you in no time. If you considered these domain names and internet keywords are important to you and there was necessary to protect them by registering them first, contact us soon.
Kind Regards,
Toby.yang
Tel:+86-10-82476192（ext.611）
Fax:+86-10-62477798
Email:toby.yang@invees.com
Beijing Invees Network Science and Technology Co.,Ltd
website:www.invees.com
I am more than stunned to see this. HAZD are stealing emails form a non-profit anti-cybersqutting organization. It just like a thief steal a uniform and a gun form a cop and turns to rob.
I guess they will be in a great trouble with lawyers and gov.
Having said that, I have to reveal more info as the MD of HKZC Network. We have a non-profit anti-cybersquatting organization cooperating with us in China and a whole system which fighting against domain piracy. This is a email forwarded to us one from one of our clients as a reply to HA ZD. This client have received millions of spams like that. Eventually they come to us for a solution and claim our protection srvice.
Original email attached as below,
Greetings:
The afore mentioned company, MEIAO Investment Co., Ltd, is not a business partner of this company; xxxxxxx
Currently, I am in contact and working with Arrow Wang(HKZC Network) to register and secure these domain names for xxxxxxxxx, LLC
Thank you for contacting me regarding this matter.
Respectfully,
Mr. xxxx
Manager/Owner
xxxxxxxx, LLC
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: xxxxxxxxx domain name registration confirmation
From: “CHENLY.CHEN”
Date: Fri, May 09, 2008 12:06 am
To: office@xxxxxxx.com
Dear Sir
We received a formal application from a company who is called Meiao Investment Co.,Ltd are applying to register “xxxxxxxxx as their domain name and Internet keyword in China and also in Asia on May 8 2008. During our auditing procedure we find out that the alleged Meiao Investment Co.,Ltd has no trade mark, brand nor patent even similar to that word. As authorized anti-cybersquatting organization we hereby suspect the alleged Meiao Investment Co.,Ltd to be a domain grabber. Hence we need you confirmation for two things,
First of all, whether this alleged Meiao Investment Co.,Ltd is your business partner or distributor in China.
Secondly, whether you are interested in registering these domains. (The alleged Meiao Investment Co.,Ltd will be entitled to obtain a domain not needed by original trademark owner.)
If you are not in charge of this please transfer this email to appropriate dept.
This is a letter for confirmation. If the mentioned third party is your business partner or distributor in China please DO NOT reply. We will automatically confirm application from your business partner after this audit procedure.
Bst Rgs
chenllychen
Registration Commissioner
Beijing HA ZD Networks Science and Technology Co., Ltd
Tel: +86-10-82772601
Fax: +86-10-82773610
Email:chenlly.chen@ha-zd.com
Http://www.ha-zd.com.cn
If you received any email similar to that or its variation, please forward to hc@bjhkzc.cn. Mr. Chan and his team will he help you out.
More Domain Scam
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?p=6944670#post6944670
Having mentioned HKZC is the only Anti-Cybersquatting Organization in China, we seriously concern some registrars’ fraud under our name.
According our clients feedback a HA ZD Network Science and Technology Co,.Ltd is keeping sending scam exactly the same as HKZC confirmation request email . This likeness is beyond coincidence we can believe.
HKZC now officially confirm that HA ZD Network have nothing to do with HKZC Network Science and Technology Co,.Ltd and they have no right to represent or acting as agent of HKZC. We have reasons to believe HA ZD hacked data base of China Registry and may contact you with unsolicited emails.
HKZC lawyers team is collecting evidence to raise accuse on this HA ZD for racketeering. If you can forward the email received from HA ZD, we will be appreciated. Cooperating with CNNIC and local police, HKZC is confident to defeat any tortuous purposes or actions including but not limited to this fraud conducted by this whatsoever HA ZD Network Science and Technology Co,.Ltd.
Haze,
For all we know, you could be just another scammer. Especially as you are using a hotmail address.