Stolen Domain? Take action now in order to get your domain or funds back.

1. Contact PayPal and/or the Registrar the domain is registered with.
2. Contact the moderator of the forum the sale originated at so they know what's going on.
3. Take screen shots of the whois records, private messages, and save emails.
4. Depending on the dollar amount, you may want to contact the authorities.

Sage Advice

• Unless you have done business with someone before, you need to spend a few minutes to research the other party. A few minutes of your time now can save you months of agrivation later.
• Do a quick search on the forums to see if others have complained. Look at feedback/trader ratings and see what type of sales the individual conducts. (If a person has been asking about freebies and .info specials and then posts a sale for a $2k 3 letter .com domain I would raise an eyebrow).

• Say what you will but avoid dealing with someone who puts "blah blah, podunk earth, 555-121-1234" as their contact infor in whois records.
• If it is a high dollar sale you may want to spend $15 and get a month subscription to whois.sc to look at old whois records.
• Check the registrar, do they have a poor recrd of handling domain theft? Some registrars don't even answer the phone much less give support.

• If at all possible try and use an escrow service like escrow.com. Although not as fast as PayPal you minimimze your risk when you use an escrow service.
• When sending money via paypal ALWAYS get the other persons REAL info. Their real name, address and phone number. You should also compare that information with that of the whois on the domain.

• Be honest, be honest, be honest. Enhance this with total clarity and be sure the other trader(s) have the same understanding of a deal’s particulars.
• Clearly represent your domain. Selling a domain with a pending Trademark case is not good business.
• There are NO excuses for being late or unable to fulfill a deal. Occasionally, there might be a legitimate REASON, but never an excuse. If you are selling on a forum make sure you respond to private messages and questions in your thread promptly.
• Always honor your word.
• Should someone meet your asking price or trade offer, you are obliged to make the deal and not quibble for more.
• Promptly communicate with the other party at the different stages of the deal, i.e. when the money is received, when transfer/push the domain, and a follow-up email to see if the sale/trade is satisfactory. IT IS A VERY GOOD IDEA to use the same email by just replying each time. Be sure to identify yourself from the start with the domain name or your forum username. This can avoid a lot of confusion especially for those people who conduct volumes of transactions on a daily basis.
• Trader references for many can be found at DNForum and Namepros . Check to see if the person you are trading with is listed and read any feedback. Do a search on the forums and see if the domain has a spotty history. Doing a scan through the forums and on Google can reveal some interesting facts that you may not be aware of.
• If you need a better warm and fuzzy before you close the deal, call the phone number on the whois record and talk to them over the phone (if needed). It’s a lot harder to be taken advantage of when you have their phone number, and it also makes it easier to find a person that violates a sale/trade
• Please, update your thread when an item is gone and maybe state to whom it went.
• Avoid becoming a buyer/trader that gets involved in misunderstandings. Don’t try to do so many deals that you cannot give proper attention to each one.
• If you’re offering less than 50% of what the items are worth on this board....you are a Low Baller!