Chinese domain scam or legitimate information?

In the roughly 20 years that Lawdit and Trademarkroom have been in business, we frequently receive emails of this nature. So what to do?

Email: frank@domainnamechinadivision.cn
Ticket: 37990292

(It’s very urgent, therefore we kindly ask you to forward this email to your CEO. If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please ignore it. Thanks)
Dear CEO,

We are the domain registration and solution center in China. We received an application from John Doe Ltd on October 21, 2024. They want to apply for “trademarkroom” as their internet keyword and China (CN) domain names (tmrcn, tmr.com.cn, ). But after checking it, we find this name conflict with your company name or trademark. In order to deal with this matter better, it’s necessary to send email to you and confirm whether this company is your distributor in China?

Since Lawdit and Trademarkroom have frequently encountered these types of domain registration scam emails over the years, here’s an established process for dealing with them:

1. Recognise the Pattern

• These emails follow a common scam template, claiming that a third party is attempting to register a domain name or internet keyword that conflicts with your trademark.
• The purpose of the email is typically to scare you into purchasing the domain through their service at inflated prices.

2. Do Not Respond

• Avoid engaging with the sender. Replying to these emails confirms that your address is active and could lead to more scams or phishing attempts.
• Scammers use urgency and intimidation to force a response, but no real domain registrar operates this way.

3. Verify Domain Availability Independently

• Use trusted domain registration platforms like ICANN, GoDaddy, or any other legitimate registrar to check the availability of the domains they mention.
• If the domains are important to your business, you can secure them directly through reputable platforms.

4. Monitor for Trademark Infringement

• As a precaution, keep an eye on domain registrations or monitor trademark databases in China. Services like WIPO’s trademark watch service can help.
• If infringement occurs, you have legal options under international trademark laws to protect your brand.

5. Educate Your Team

• Ensure your team knows to spot and flag these emails as scams. Since you’ve been getting these for years, having a process to ignore or filter them is essential.

tmr@trademarkroom.com