(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — In the fight against the increasing misuse of brand names on the Web, hosting provider 1&1 Internet (www.1and1.com) has launched an initiative to offer domain packages in bundles of three or five to help companies protect their reputation by simply securing the closest alternatives to their desired Internet address.
A technique used by online fraudsters the Internet over, cybersquatting is the registration of unused addresses that are deceptively similar to company domains for use in fraudulent activities. According to its Thursday announcement, 1&1′s reduced-price domain package helps prevent cybersquatters in two ways.
First, 1&1 will suggest strategic domain names for registration that use other common domain extensions. Second, 1&1 offers a significant discount on similar domains. For instance, a typical 1&1 bundle with three domains costs $19.99 and a five domain bundle is only $29.99 for the first year.
The offer also applies to existing customers, meaning that a customer who already has a domain with 1&1 can now register additional domains via the 1&1 Control Center. Following an availability check, a list of available alternative domains will automatically be displayed on the 1&1 website page for the customers’ to consider.
Cybersquatting, made illegal in the US under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, often involves the perpetrator trying to sell the domain to a trademark owner at an inflated price. Another very popular fraud scheme using cybersquatting involves private users landing or being sent to deceiving phishing websites that appear genuine and prompt them to enter personal information such as passwords or private bank and credit card information.
“If the request for information is put online using a cover story, people will often provide the data and fall into a trap unknowingly. The culprits retrieve the information and use it to turn a profit at the individual’s expense,” 1&1 Internet chief executive officer Oliver Mauss said in a statement. “The increasing misuse of domain names does not only put companies at risk, but presents a threat to private users as well. We believe that there is an urgent need for action, and see our initiative as another important step in our fight against online fraud.”
According to Mark Monitor’s latest Brandjacking Index, the risk of brand misuse worldwide is the highest in Germany, the UK, and the US, with more than 80 percent of all websites using brand names for illegal purposes originating from these three countries.
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