Hello all

This 'scam' is something similar to what we encountered in Austria recently.
I have pasted below a translation of the story I did from the local
newspaper. The English version is available at
http://www.nic.at/english/news.html and the original German version at
http://www.nic.at/german/news.html.

For those who are interested, I am also compiling a news section for the
nic.at web site, one part of which is on Domain Names, the other titled
Internet Community which are available at
http://www.nic.at/english/domainnews.html and
http://www.nic.at/english/community.html respectively.

I also post the current news and news collected on the previous day on the
home page at http://www.nic.at/english/main.html.

Cheers
David

Company from St. Valentin operates contract preparation with numbered
banknote
http://www.nic.at/english/news.html 

Deception with Domain Registration 

In recent days there have been several complaints over misleading
preparation of contracts to both the Chamber of Commerce and the company
'nic.at' due to complaints about deception with deposit slip to the company
Internet EDP GmbH, St. Valentin. 
Internet EDV under the designation 'internick.at' sent invoices that gave
domain holders the impression that upon payment to them of ATS1500, they
would be ensured of the registration or renewal of a domain name. However
the company responsible is actually 'nic.at', the only company in Austria
that registers and administers domains under the top level domain '.at'. 
CONTRACT COMES 

By choosing the designation 'internick', they want to give the impression
they are the company with whom to deal. 'Internic' was the former
organisation who was responsible for international domain registrations. 

Only with a closer inspection of the invoice, which is sent with a deposit
slip, one notices that it is a quote for the entry of the domain and company
into a worldwide data base 'information register'. By depositing the money a
contract comes into effect. Such entries are made available free of charge
by the existing and certified registries worldwide in the so-called 'WHOIS'.
The domain registration must have already taken place, because only a domain
already registered is entered into the WHOIS database. 

The entire representation as well as business preparation was suitable for
inexperienced domain holders to arouse in a misleading way the impression
that it concerns an Internet administrative company. 

LEGAL STEPS 

The company "nic.at" has no connection to Internet EDV GmbH and has already
initiated legal proceedings against Internet EDV GmbH. 

Further information can be obtained from the legal department of the Chamber
of Commerce in Salzburg 0662/88 88 Dw. 321 (Dr. Peter Enthofer) or nic.at
(e-mail: recht§nic.at) or by Tel. 0800/808 88 Dw. 40.
  

nic.at Internet Verwaltungs- und Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H.
Jakob-Haringer-Straße 8
A-5020 Salzburg

Infos zur Domainverwaltung http://www.nic.at

Email: david.goldstein§sbg.nic.at 
Tel.: +43 (662) 4669-0
Fax: +43 (662) 4669-29
In Oesterreich gebuehrenfrei:
Tel.: 0800 800 888-0
Fax: 0800 800 888-29