Even though it can be a lot of work to search through names to order at Snapnames, it is definitely worth the effort. I recently won an auction for VideoCameraWorld.com for about $110. I was only bidding against one other person, so apparently this name either slipped by everyone else and I found a gem, or other people don’t think this name is as valuable as I do. Some recent –Wold.com sales as report by DNSalePrice.com include:

PerfectWorld.com - $30,000
NudeWorld.com - $23,530
DesignerWorld.com - $21,000
WineWorld.com - $20,000

I know VideoCameraWorld.com isn’t worth as much as those gems, but I believe it is worth much more than $110. Keep on looking through Snapnames – its worth the effort! This is one of the most fun aspects of the domain investment industry.

Yesterday I blogged about the USPS’ new anti-scam campaign directing people to FakeChecks.org. The whole point of my post wasn’t to criticize the Postal Service - I think the campaign is smart and the message is good. However, I believe there is a good chance many viewers will end up on the wrong website, not owned by the USPS.

A perfect example can be found on the KETV 3 website, a Santa Barbara news station. Directly from their website:

“According to the US Postal Service, scam victims lose $3,500 on average and are often responsible to repay banks for the money lost. The Post Service met with officials and residents to issue warnings and give tips on how you can avoid being scammed. The US Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service have set up a website at www.fakechecks.com so you can report fraudulent activity.”

Whether we like it or not, many people automatically assume a domain name is a .com no matter what the extension is. This confusion could potentially lead people to the wrong website, as can be seen by this inadvertant news article.

New e-mail scam: Hit-man threatThe Boston Globe had an article about an email scam that is making its way into inboxes around the country. The email informs the recipient that a “hit” has been taken out either on the person or a loved one, and they must pay a sum of money to remove the hit. Although the email would certainly be immediately recognized as a scam by recipients, it can be unnerving to receive an email like this. According to the article,

“The FBI received 115 complaints of similar e-mails reaching people across the country in less than a month last winter, according to its Web site. The e-mails vary only in the amount of money demanded, ranging as high as $80,000.” Source: The Boston Globe

The FBI has a website that offers warnings and information about email and online scams. Additionally, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) also offers people the opportunity to report cyber crimes.

As always, never click on links in emails - especially when they are from unknown individuals. If you are ever in doubt about an email you receive, contact your local law enforcement agency.