Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Web Hosting : Curious about domain name searches...

[NMCB]

If this topic has been discussed before, moderator(s) please delete this thread.

I'm not sure if it's coincidence or that my domain name searches are being tracked. Over the past few months, I had done searches on .com domains that are meaningless or lengthy, and behold, a few weeks or days later, the domains were registered. If these domain names were widely used, catchy, or meaningful, then I could understand, but I just find it very strange. I won't list examples because I have no proof. I just find it very strange.

[avara]

It's probably just coincidence: with so many .com domain names being registered every day, people are getting more and more desperate, resulting in longer domain names being registered frequently.

[bert]

I have experienced the exact same thing! I have had customers that run a search on my site, don't buy the domain and then when they come back 3 or 4 days later to register it, the name is gone!

It even looks as if we are the ones that are doing this and we are obviously not! This has happened about 3 times in the past 4 months. In our particular case, the names end up being registered by the same company. I won't mention the name of the company because I really have no proof of their bad intentions, but this whole thing seems very strange.

Anyone else out there with the same experience?

[c0bra]

Is the search facility on your site plugged into another company? I've heard untold stories of people searching for a particular domain one moment then a day later the domain has been registered.

You really have to take care when running these searches. Less scrupulous individuals are logging each and every search done on their site and when they find anything interesting register up that domain in hope of selling it on at a nice price.

[bert]

We have our own in-house script for domain name search. However, the script uses NSI whois server.

[Dexter]

yea you have to watch where you search at... I only use NSI since several of my friends names got jacked.

I ended up using .net for the 4 names my basic website uses becuase some of the names .com were taken. course the .net works out since it is a network of websites

[Scott]

I have had simular experiences. I have also noticed namezero.com used to pick up a lot of the left over .net's of recently taken .com domains Why? I do not know, they never developed them.

[bert]

There is certainly something "hidden" about all this!

[Duster]

Originally posted by bert
I have experienced the exact same thing! I have had customers that run a search on my site, don't buy the domain and then when they come back 3 or 4 days later to register it, the name is gone!

It even looks as if we are the ones that are doing this and we are obviously not! This has happened about 3 times in the past 4 months. In our particular case, the names end up being registered by the same company. I won't mention the name of the company because I really have no proof of their bad intentions, but this whole thing seems very strange.

You could mention the name of the company without accusing them of anything. There is nothing irresponsible about that. It may be nothing more than a coincidence you have observed.

Then again, it may not be coincidence at all. Consider that some registrars have related companies that auction off domain names and the way they treat domain names as their property, not releasing them upon expiration, and you have reasonable grounds for thinking there is nothing coincidental about your observations.

I think mentioning any company you have observed with registrations recently inquired about, without accusing them of anything, is a most responsible thing to do.

[bert]

The company is called snapnames.

I DO NOT want to incriminate myself because I HAVE NO PROOF whatsoever of ANYTHING. I just want to make clear that I am not accusing anyone here. It just so happened that I have had 3 customers in the past few months trying to register a domain and when I go register it, it turns out that the names have been placed on "back order" by the company above.

This could also be pure coincidence because our script uses NSI's whois server and I know for a fact that there is a delay of about 2 days on whois servers.

[Duster]

I just did a search on their site and NSI's for psychogerbils.com, which is available. If that should end up on "back order" in a few days, I'd say some suspicions would be confirmed. That's a highly unusual name and extremely likely to be registered.

Of course, if anyone wants it for real, they should hurry up and register it now. It may be gone soon.

[cperciva]

Originally posted by Duster
... psychogerbils.com ... That's a highly unusual name and extremely likely to be registered.

Extremely UNlikely perhaps? Or were you just making a comment on the foobar-ishness of the .com world today?

[NMCB]

Well, I use NSI, register.com, and whois.net frequently when doing .com searches. I will also note that the "coincidence" is more frequent on .ca searches, but I go through Canadian sites for these searches. Many times, the names are registered the next day. It's getting to the point that I stop doing searches for friends and colleagues because by the time they want them, the names are taken.

[Akash]

back when namezero used to register free domains right away, i looked up .com/.net/.org versions of my full name on their website. 2 months later they are registered by namezero!

[m6.net]

I know it is very hard to point on any one if you don't have any proof. But I can't see any reason why one should not/cannot inform ICANN about his/her doubt and request to find out the fact. One can tell the story and exprss a doubt. If any registrar found guilt I am sure will end up loosing its license, which is good for this whole industry.