DOTWORLDS FRAUD!!!!!
Warning Internet Users Not To Fall for Internet Scam Involving the Top-Level Domain .USA
On March, 2002 we were advised that someone in the United Kingdom was bulk emailing addresses harvested from newsgroups and web sites as part of a marketing effort to sell second level domains in the .USA top level domain infrastructure.
We are issuing an urgent warning today about a website that has popped up in recent weeks purporting to be an exclusive registrar for the ".USA" top-level domain.
This company, operated out of England is called dotworlds.net and has in false claims that they were authorized to take registrations for domains under several other TLDs, including ".USA".
"This company is operated by a man named Retkin, who has a habit of "lifting" top-level domains from companies that are already operating them. This is just his latest adventure". In early March, Dotworlds launched a website purporting to be the "only place to register a .USA domain". This is untrue. Additionally, a large volume of unsolicited email, known as SPAM has dumped into the email boxes of thousands of internet users inviting them to register a .USA domain for "only $35". Dotworlds.net appears to be attempting to capitalizing on the September 11 tragedy to enhance the success of the scam.
We have started preparing legal action against Retkin and dotworlds.net and have notified authorities about the website.
Billing records show that Dotworlds operate a merchant account through clearing agents Worldpay (www.worldpay.com). Request a refund from sales@worldpay.com and contact your credit card company and refer the security and fraud investigator to The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
ICANN is a contractor to the United States Department of Commerce and is mandated with the administration of the U.S. domain name system. ICANN will assist your credit cards fraud and investigation department in establishing that dotworlds is not the exclusive registrar for any of the top level domains claimed by them.
sam
Los Angeles, California