This just landed in my email:
From: Dan Johnson <dan@domainguardsystem.com [1]>
To: sean@conman.org
Subject: XXXXXXXXXX.com for the owner of XXXXXXXXXX.org
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:02:38 -0600 (CST)
> Hi,
The domain XXXXXXXXXX.com has recently become available for us so we are offering it to you, because you are the owner of its .org version.
Domain Guard System is intended to assist our clients with their promotion on the Internet. We use many methods to increase the effectiveness of a client's presence on the Web. Securing .com domains for anyone using another extension for their site is one of them.
There are several reasons why owning a .com is of great importance for any domain holder:
> * It's in the essense of Internet: .com is most popular and widely used, and the typical user usually supposes that he/she will find you at XXXXXXXXXX.com.
*
* A lot of companies and organizations who use other extensions as primary (.net for Web services or private sites, .org for non-profit organizations etc.) are securing .coms not to lose the visitors who are seeking them there.
*
* With .com, you will be free to use both your .org and .com so you will only gain visitors.
*
* By owning the .com, you will be sure to stay #1 in your own name space.
*
If you are interested in this domain, please act quickly, as we soon intend to bring it to the auction where the acquisition cost will be higher than now.
Please use the link below to discover the current cost of the domain, read more about the advantages of owning a .com and get information on the details of the purchase and domain transfer procedure:
Secure XXXXXXXXXX.com now!
[link deleted —Editor]
Best regards, > Dan Johnson > Domain Guard System > mailto: dan@domainguardsystem.com [2]
Oh really?
I decided to see if they had a parked page on XXXXXXXXXX.com and no, no website. Heck, there didn't appear to be any DNS (Domain Name System) information for the XXXXXXXXXX.com domain. I checked to see of the domain in question was even registered, and well …
>
```
[spc]lucy:~>whois XXXXXXXXXX.com
[Querying whois.internic.net]
[whois.internic.net]
Whois Server Version 2.0
Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered
with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
for detailed information.
No match for domain "XXXXXXXXXX.COM".
>>> Last update of whois database: Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:25:08 EST <<<
```
Now it's getting interesting. Let me check with my registrar to see if I can register XXXXXXXXXX.com … well, how do you like that? It's available! I can register it right now for $15.95 (yes, I know, not the cheapest registrar out there, but I've been using them for years now and never had a problem with them, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it).
So, how much is Domain Guard System asking for it?
**Here's How To Buy**
The price for **XXXXXXXXXX.com** is: **$99.00**
Please click on the **“PayPal—Click Here To Buy”** button below to make payment via PayPal.
Payments made through PayPal are Safe and Secure. You can pay by credit and debit card, or using your PayPal account. Please note, that the credit card information you submit is only viewable for PayPal.com and not for us.
The refund will be issued on your payment in case of any problems with the domain transfer.
Once paid, your domain name information will be delivered to your email address in next 15 to 30 minutes.
Please read our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) [3] if you have more questions concerning purchase procedure and further domain management.
$99? And Domain Guard System isn't even squatting on it?
Sometimes I think I'm in the wrong business.
[1] mailto:dan@domainguardsystem.com
[2] mailto:dan@domainguardsystem.com