Has anyone received snail mail letter from Web Listings Inc saying that they owe $65 for search engine listings?
I thought, hmm I've never ordered any services from a company called "web listings inc."

A closer look at this message shows that they are tricking people into paying as though they have ordered something because it has the appearance of a bill but it really isn't. It starts off right away with "how to make payment." But then, there is a text at the bottom that says "this is a solicitation, you are under no obligation to pay."

The only way they got my name/address was from one of my domains that had my whois info.

IT IS INDEED A SCAM

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It's a direct mail piece. The format is not actually illegal, but it is trickery of the user. Somewhere on the letter it says "This is not a bill".

I wouldn't call it a scam, I'd call it blackhat direct mail. I imagine they made six figures on each mailing since a lot of online companies, my own included get so many invoices per month that a lot of accounts payable departments probably just paid it.

and still you dont call it scam?
interesting

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A fool and his money are soon parted.

If they are really providing the service it's not a scam. By your definition, most of what we see in our lives is in fact a "scam" since the fine print locks us into memberships, future payments, no rights, additional products and on and on and on.

You have to read the fine print people. If you just get a bill from a company you've never heard of and pay it without taking 20 minutes to get to the bottom of it, I have no pity for you.

And ahem, this is the BLACK HAT world, a forum dedicated to beating the system, making money through frowned on methods, etc etc.

similar thing was going around couple of years ago - remember those letters from domain registry of america?

i used to get them all the time - basically they where sending letter out to companies telling them that there domain was up for renewal even though they where not the registrar - the paper work had you sign over the domain to them and then they would charge you about $65 for the pleasure of doing so, the letters used to look very professional and above board, im sure a lot of people fell for it and that company made some $$$

Now that is much more of a scam, I'd call the web listings letter really clever advertising, but getting peoples domains.....That's pretty dirty

I still get the domain registrys. I think its a great direct mailing piece, if you have the skin and the customer service reps for it. it sucks when someone gets wind of it though. items are only worth how much people will pay for them

Yeah I didn't like how they could trick many domain owners into thinking that it is a bill. That's one of the reasons I don't like putting real whois info ( or at least always get whois privacy).

Anyone here ever get these solicitations when they didn't open a domain?
I am getting them now, which is stemming from a very bad online shopping experience on Yahoo! Shopping.
Apparently someone stole my cc info from Yahoo!s super secure servers and used that info to purchase a domain through Yahoo!s Small Business services.
Now I am getting these solicitations and Yahoo! won't respond to my requests to shut down and delete the domain, with all of my information attached.

Anyone have suggestions for fighting this?

thanks!

IT IS NOT A SCAM. They do exactly what they say they do... It just sucks! (and is not worth it)