I got a letter in the mail yesterday from the “Domain Registry of Canada”. It looks worryingly formal and suspiciously like an invoice, but it’s actually a sales pitch. The Domain Registry of Canada should NOT be confused with the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), which regulates and administrates the registration of .ca domain names.
This document looks particularly official because they pull your personal information from publicly-available WHOIS records, which are mandatory when registering a domain name. This makes the letter look like a bill, or a renewal notice.
To make things worse, the Domain Registry of Canada charges $40 a year to register a domain name, which is absolutely ridiculous considering the normal price is about $12.
In short: if you get this letter, don’t fall for it – put it straight in the circular file.
Ten-Year Anniversary Update
I can’t believe I’ve been writing here for over ten years. Yikes. Anyhow, they’re back, and with increased prices to boot! A client received this letter in the mail today and scanned it over to me to ask what they should do. My advice still stands – throw it out. You do not need to transfer your domain name to this company. They are using alarmist wording and presentation to try to scare people into transferring their domains to their own overpriced service. If you’ve received something similar and aren’t sure whether it’s legit, contact me and I’ll let you know.
