Chinese domain offers - beware!

Updated on Friday, September 27, 2013 at 3:59PM by Alan W

Updated on Sunday, November 17, 2013 at 1:35PM by Alan W

Updated on Friday, November 22, 2013 at 11:21AM by Alan W

Updated on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at 6:28PM by Alan W

Updated on Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 1:31PM by Alan W

Updated on Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 11:06AM by Alan W

Updated on Friday, June 13, 2014 at 12:08AM by Alan W

Updated on Monday, June 23, 2014 at 10:19AM by Alan W

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Updated on Thursday, August 7, 2014 at 11:47AM by Alan W

Updated on Wednesday, August 20, 2014 at 5:54PM by Alan W

Updated on Tuesday, September 9, 2014 at 9:56AM by Alan W

Updated on Friday, October 17, 2014 at 10:39AM by Alan W

Updated on Monday, December 8, 2014 at 11:05AM by Alan W

Updated on Saturday, January 24, 2015 at 10:59AM by Alan W

Updated on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at 9:47AM by Alan W

Updated on Monday, August 10, 2015 at 11:54AM by Alan W

Updated on Monday, August 31, 2015 at 11:36AM by Alan W

Updated on Thursday, January 7, 2016 at 11:06PM by Alan W

Updated on Monday, April 17, 2017 at 6:35PM by Alan W

Updated on Monday, May 15, 2017 at 9:45PM by Alan W

Updated on Tuesday, May 21, 2019 at 5:13PM by Alan W

Updated on Wednesday, July 3, 2019 at 1:31PM by Alan W

Updated on Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 2:11PM by Alan W

Has a Chinese company Emailed you trying to sell a bunch of Asian domain names based on your company name or UK domain name? You're not alone and here's an actual example to help you make up your mind about the authenticity of the Chinese company's 'overtures'.

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World Trade Register

It’s silly season for Online Business Directories again, and I’ve received two junk emails from the so-called “World Trade Register”. It’s an innocent-looking thing with a big sting in the tail:

Dear Madam/Sir,
In order to have your company inserted in the World Trade Register's 2012/2013 edition, please print, complete and return the enclosed form to the following address:
World Trade Register
P.O. Box 3079
3502 GB Utrecht
The Netherlands
Updating is free of charge!

A PDF form called “update_form.pdf” was attached. Well of course updating it might be free, but if you read the small print you’re placing an order for €995 per year for three years, and annually thereafter. I can just imagine some office-bod falling for it when an invoice for €995 duly arrives.

The updating form is an order for €995 per year for 3 years. Click to view.

On the world-traderegister.com website, well, I found some “popular categories” on the home page, often containing just one company. There were four dentists worldwide though. The website Search engine didn’t work at all.

Similar mails have come in the past from “World Business Guide” with a Madrid address, “World Company Register” also in Utrecht, and “EU Business Register” in Madrid. The “Update” forms are broadly the same.