Network Service Company Domain Scam - How to Protect Yourself

A Sample of the Scam

If you are not the CEO, kindly please forward this email to your CEO because this is urgent. In case you think this has been sent to you wrongly, please ignore it. Thank you.)

Dear CEO,

We are a Network Service Company which is the domain name registration center in Shanghai, China. We received a request from Jiazhi Ltd on October 5, 2026. They wish to register "onlinethreatalerts" as their internet keyword and Chinese domain names (onlinethreatalerts.cn, onlinethreatalerts.com.cn, onlinethreatalerts.net.cn, onlinethreatalerts.org.cn). But after reviewing it, we notice this name conflicts with your business name or trademark. In order to deal with this matter properly, it's necessary to send a message to you and ascertain whether this firm is your distributor or business partner in China?

Best regards

Jesse Liu

General Manager

Domain Registrar

Tel: +86-2161918696 | Fax: +86-2161918697 | Mob: +86-13816428671

12F Kaike Building, No. 1801 Hongmei Road, Shanghai 200233, China

How the Scam Works

The scammers use a specific, high-pressure template to trick business owners and managers who might not know how domain registration works:

1. The "Urgent" Notification: The email claims that a third-party company (e.g., "Wanbang Holdings" or "Hongpai Ltd") has applied to register your brand name as an "internet keyword" or as Asian/Chinese domain extensions like .cn, .com.cn, or .net.cn.
2. The Fake Ethical Dilemma: The sender pretends to be a helpful, accredited registrar who noticed a "conflict" with your trademark. They claim they have temporarily paused the third party’s application out of "courtesy" to let you claim the domains first.
3. The Extortion: If you reply out of panic, they will tell you the only way to "protect your brand" is to pay exorbitant, inflated registration fees (often thousands of dollars upfront for multiple years) to register those domains yourself.

Why You Can Safely Ignore It

• There is no third-party buyer: The company allegedly trying to buy your domain is entirely made up. If you don't pay the scammers, nothing will happen.
• They are not an official registry: Legitimate registrars like the China National Network Information Center (CNNIC) will never proactively email foreign companies to warn them about trademark conflicts or protect their intellectual property for free.
• The domains are useless to you: Unless your company actively operates in China or specifically needs a .cn digital presence, these domain extensions have no value to your business.

What You Should Do Next

• Do not reply: Engaging with the email confirms your address is active and can lead to more targeted phishing attempts.
• Delete and block: Flag the email as spam and block the sender's domain.
• Educate your team: Forwarding this warning to your accounting or IT department prevents someone else from accidentally paying a fake invoice later.