Is an email saying my domain name is expiring a scam?
Domain expiry scam emails try to trick website owners into transferring their domain to a new, often expensive registrar. Always renew through your current registrar directly.
Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
Explanation
Domain slamming is a fraud in which a company sends letters or emails that look like renewal invoices for your domain name, but they are actually transfer requests to a different — often much more expensive — registrar. The email may be worded to look like an urgent renewal notice, but paying it transfers your domain away from your current provider rather than renewing it. Separately, some emails simply phish for your registrar login credentials by linking to a fake login page.
The senders harvest targets from public domain registration records, which is why a notice can correctly quote your domain name and its approximate expiry window and still be fraudulent. Small businesses are a favourite target because the person who pays invoices is often not the person who registered the domain, so a plausible-looking renewal bill gets paid without question. Losing a domain this way can mean days or weeks of disruption to your website and email while you try to recover it — far more costly than the invoice itself.
If you receive a domain expiry notice, log in to your actual registrar's dashboard directly to check the real expiry date and renew there. Enabling auto-renewal and the registrar's transfer lock closes off both versions of the scam, and keeping your domain's billing contact up to date means genuine notices only ever arrive from one known source.
Common red flags
- Email is from a registrar you don't recognise, not your actual provider
- Invoice asks for a much higher price than your usual renewal fee
- Fine print mentions 'transfer' rather than 'renewal'
- Link goes to a website that is not your current registrar
What to do now
- Log in to your actual registrar dashboard to check your real renewal date
- Renew only through your current provider
- Mark the slamming email as spam and report it
- Enable domain lock and auto-renewal with your real registrar
Frequently asked questions
Can my domain be transferred without my permission?
Reputable registrars require you to approve transfers via email and an authorisation code. Enabling 'registrar lock' on your domain adds an extra layer of protection.
How did they know my domain name and expiry date?
Domain registration details, including expiry dates, are publicly visible in WHOIS records unless you use privacy protection. Quoting them accurately requires no inside access and is not a sign of legitimacy.
I already paid one of these invoices. What now?
Contact your real registrar immediately to check whether a transfer has been initiated and ask them to lock the domain. Then dispute the payment with your bank or card issuer and keep the invoice as evidence.