Chinese Domain Name Scam Update

I have had a number of enquiries from clients, checking to see if these emails are legitimate or not.

However, I have just received one directly and have noticed that although the scam is the same, the wording and formatting are a bit better, more convincing.

Here is the transcript:

Dear Manager,

(If you are not the person who is in charge of this, please forward this to your CEO,Thanks)

This email is from China domain name registration center, which mainly deal with the domain name registration and dispute internationally in China and Asia.
On October 17th 2011, We received Tianhua Ltd’s application that they are registering the name ” yourdomain ” as their Internet Keyword and ” yourdomain .cn “?” yourdomain .com.cn ” ?”yourdomain .asia “domain names etc.., they are China and ASIA domain names. But after auditing we found the brand name been used by your company. As the domain name registrar in China, it is our duty to notice you, so we are sending you this email to check. According to the principle in China, your company is the owner of the trademark, In our auditing time we can keep the domain names safe for you firstly, but our audit period is limited, if you object the third party application these domain names and need to protect the brand in china and Asia by yourself, please let the responsible officer contact us as soon as possible. Thank you!

Best Regards,

John
General Manager
Shanghai Office (Head Office)
3002, Nanhai Building, No. 854 Nandan Road,
Xuhui District, Shanghai 200070, China
Tel: +86 216191 8696
Mobile: +86 136615 29704
Fax: +86 216191 8697
Web: www.ygnetworkltd.com

So you can see that the construction of the email is much more professional, but still is  not quite perfect.

Again the point of these emails is to scare people into thinking that their domain name is going to be registered by a Chinese company. All they are wanting is to get you to register the domain name through them (often at an inflated price)

Don’t worry, I have not seen one of these be real yet.

Posted in Email and Web Scams | No Comments »

We Don’t Want to Watch What You Want Us to Watch

Especially when you want us to watch it.

Times are changing in TV land.

While we in NZ still have restrictive broadband limitations in speed and monthly data caps, the world moves ahead in the use of streaming video.

Offerings such as Hulu and Netflix, plus streaming options through other providers such as Amazon mean that video delivered over the internet is dominating internet traffic in those markets.

But even in New Zealand, on demand video is becoming more and more prevalent. MySky allows for easy recording and playback of shows from SkyTV’s plethora of channels and the free to air networks have the OnDemand services where you can catch up on shows you have missed only a day later.

But what this “on demand” method of consuming video (and audio) does, is it puts the control of the content back into the viewers hands.

Apart from live events such as sport, where the “watching it live” component is eminently important, most other forms of TV or movies can be consumed at the viewers leisure. No more checking the TV guide and planning your life around when a particular show is on, just watch it when you like.

Imagine a world where you can pick and choose all of the shows you want to watch with no reliance on date and time.

What impact could this have on the different parts of the ecosystem?

Producers of Content: Major producers might be more selective of what content they invest in and so the number of productions might reduce in size (possibly better funded). Independent producers of content such as the Twit Network may be encouraged to produce more content to fill the gaps left my changed in major network production.

Advertisers: Much improved analytics and viewer statistics will allow for much more targeted advertising. Ads for lower rating shows will reflect those lower ratings and advertisers can get a real idea as to the viewership of their ad portfolio.

Consumers: Fringe shows (from the current model) will become even more marginalised until they disappear. Niche shows will be created by nimble producers focussed on fanatical audiences. The only scheduled shows will be live events.

I like this future as it enables true choice for the consumer and a better experience.

Posted in Soapbox, Video | No Comments »

Dashes vs Underscores for SEO – Winner announced

We have a definitive answer from Google as to what is better for word separation in URLs.

Matt Cutts released one of his Webmaster videos discussing this and while there is not much in it (to the point he said not to change it if you already have underscores), that if you are starting a new site, dashes are the way to go.

Posted in Coders Stuff, Internet Marketing, Search Engines, Video, Web Design | 2 Comments »

Work for September

We have been very busy over the last few months, in August we launched StorConnect, you can see the website here:

http://storconnect.com

It is a tablet (iPad/android) powered contract system for the Self Storage industry.

On the Deepweb side, we have been working with the following clients:

• Northland Marquees
• Kerikeri Primary School
• Garden Services Auckland
• Skydive Zone Bay of Islands
• Chocolates and Cupcakes
• LucasOil
• Isobar Surf

Plus many more.

September and October look like they will be just as, if not more, busy than the last wee while.

Posted in NZ Industry News, StorConnect, Web Design | No Comments »

Accommodation Scam Email from “Cowell Travel & Tours”

Another accommodation scam email, this time done a little better.

Rather than the all capitals, poor grammar and spelling of previous emails, this one reads better and so is harder to spot.

However, the key ingredients are the same

• Doesn’t match the products on offer (Asking for 7 people, when only 6 available)
• Insists on credit card as only payment method
• Urgency
• Not an enquiry, but a straight booking

Here is the copy of the email

Greetings,

I am Mr. Simon Cowell, I am writing from the Cowell Travel & Tours, Liverpool England, we have group of 7 people coming to spend their vacation in your country for 10 days. With due respect, we will like you to provide accommodation and breakfast for 7 of them for the whole period of their stay.

Let me know your room’s types and cost per night so that reservation will be made on time.

Our Arrival Date is 20th September 2011; Our Departure date is 30th September 2011.

Number of People: 7. all adult.

Kindly Confirm if you will have availability during these dates so as to proceed with the booking.

I will be appreciating your urgent response, I hope you accept credit card as means of payment, because I will be making the payment with my credit card only.

Regards,

Mr. Simon Cowell
Cowell Travel & Tours
Adlib House, Fleming Road,
Liverpool, Merseyside, L24 9LS
England.

Tel: (+44) 703 182 0750

Posted in Email and Web Scams | 39 Comments »