Always make sure that email messages you receive regarding your domains really are sent from us. A lot of shady people on the Internet will try to trick you into giving away your credentials, or to steal your domains. We’ve written about this so called phishing here.
Sometimes emails are sent out to the email address registrered in the contact information for a domain (i.e. in the whois information). These messages sometimes require action from the domain owner, so keep an eye out for them.
Annual messages prompting you to check the whois information
Once a year, email messages are being sent out regarding domains managed by ICANN (those using generic top level domains such as .com, .net, .org etc). The purpose of these email messages is to make sure that the domain owner keeps the whois information up to date.
If the whois information is incorrect, it may lead to that ICANN cancels your domain. Therefore, it’s important that you make sure that the information always is correct.
For example, if the postal address for the domain owner or other data has changed during the last year, it is important to update the whois information.
Here follows an example of how such an email message begins:
Subject: Please check whois information for exempel.com
Hello,
This message is a reminder to help you keep the contact information associated with your domain exempel.com up-to-date. According to ICANN’s Whois Data Reminder Policy, a registrar must present – at least annually – to the registrant the current Whois information, and remind the registrant that provision of false Whois information can be grounds for cancellation of their domain name registration. Registrants must review their Whois data and make any corrections, if necessary.
Following this, the current whois information is presented. If the information is correct, you may ignore the email message. However, if the information is incorrect, you need to update it. We’ve written instructions how to modify a domain’s whois information here.
Messages regarding validation of the email address in the whois information
If you change the whois information for a domain managed by ICANN (those using generic top level domains such as .com, .net, .org etc), you will be prompted to validate your email address after performing the changes. You verify that the email address is correct by clicking a link in an email message that is sent out to the email address in the domain’s whois information.
Here follows an example of how such an email message begins:
Subject: Request for email address validation
Hello,
Due to the requirements under the ICANN Registrar Accreditation Agreement, we are required to confirm the validity of the email address provided for the domain name registration application or contact creation.
You will only have to do this once for each email address used.
Please note that if you do not validate your email address, your contact details with this email address will be suspended. This will result in your domains using the email address in their whois information stops working until you’ve validated the email address.
In the email message, you’ll find a link you need to click to verifity that the email address is both working and correct.