A new scam has surfaced which primarily targets organisations with one or more registered website domains. Contact for these scams generally appears to be initiated by an e-mail which alerts the recipient of a potential threat to their existing and/or other similar domains pertaining to their registered business name. The following example is typically representative of a first-contact e-mail:

 Dear CEO, 

We are the domain name registration organization in Asia, which mainly deal with international company's in Asia. We have something important need to confirm with your company.
 
On Jun. 24, 2009, we received an application formally. One company named "Horuhkrist company" wanted to register following domain names:

printnet.tw   
printnet.com.tw   
printnet.hk   
printnet.com.hk   
printnet.asia 
printnet.jp
printnet.com.my
and Internet Trademark: PrintNet
through our entity.

After our initial examination, we found that the keyword and domain names applied for registration are as same as your company's name and trademark. These days we are dealing with it. If you do not know this company, we doubt that they have other aims to buy these domain names. Now we have not finished the registration of  Horuhkrist company yet, in order to deal with this issue better, Please contact us by telephone or email as soon as possible.
 
Best Regards,
Fiona
Manager of Auditing Department

Hong Kong Auditing Department Office
Web:  http://www.wtl.hk.cn
Email: Fiona@westdns.org (Work time)
          Fiona@westtechnology.org (24 Hours)

Tel: ++852-9566 0103/9566 0496
Fax: ++852-3019 7872

After receipt of this e-mail, follow up phone calls are usually made by the 'Auditing Office' to reinforce the legitimacy of the threat, and recommendations are made to secure these domains. The success of this current scam is entirely dependent on the organisation (which is being allegedly threatened) unnecessarily registering additional domains to protect their internet trademarks.

Printing Industries advises anyone who receives correspondence from sources similar to those detailed above to ensure that they have appropriate rights to their existing domain name(s) etc. It is recommended that you ignore all mails related to these 'domain threats'.

If in doubt, contact Printing Industries on (02) 8789 7300 for advice.