Transfer scam

Some companies offered value added services or used viral marketing, while others, such as VeriSign and the Domain Registry of Americaattempted to trick customers to switch from their current registrar using a practice known as domain slamming.

Some scammers contacted end users by telephone (since the contact information is available through WHOIS) to obtain more information. These notices would include information publicly available. The text would include legalese to confuse the end user into thinking that it is an official binding notice. Scam registrars go after domain names that are expiring soon or have recently expired. Expired domain names do not have to go through the authentication process to be transferred, as the previous registrar would have relinquished management rights of the domain name.

Drop catchers

A domain name registrar who offers the service of attempting to quickly register a given domain name for a customer if that name becomes available—that is, to "catch" a "dropped" name—when the domain name's registration expires, either because the registrant does not want the domain anymore or because the registrant did not renew the registration on time.