Domain slamming is a scam where you receive an official-looking letter or email claiming your domain is about to expire and urging you to "renew" by paying them. The goal is to trick you into transferring your domain to their registrar at inflated prices. Here is how to recognize and avoid it.
Only renew through your actual registrar
If you registered your domain through Ultra Web Hosting, renew it in your client area under Domains > My Domains. Any renewal notice from a company you do not recognize is almost certainly a scam.
01. How to Recognize Domain Slamming
- Urgent language - "Your domain will be deleted!" or "Final renewal notice!"
- Unfamiliar company - The notice comes from a company you have never heard of, not your actual registrar
- Inflated prices - Renewal prices of $30-$75+ for a .com (legitimate renewal is typically $10-$15)
- Physical mail - Some scammers send paper letters that look like invoices
- WHOIS data harvesting - They found your contact info in the public WHOIS database
02. How to Protect Yourself
- Only renew at your registrar - Log into your client area to check the actual expiration date
- Enable WHOIS privacy - Hides your contact info from scammers. See Hide Domain WHOIS Information.
- Enable auto-renewal - Set your domains to renew automatically so you never risk accidental expiration
- Ignore unsolicited notices - If you did not initiate contact, do not respond
If you accidentally paid a domain slamming notice, contact your bank immediately to dispute the charge. Then check your domain's registrar status using our WHOIS tool to see if the domain was transferred. If it was, contact us for help recovering it.
Not Sure If a Notice Is Legitimate?
Forward any suspicious domain renewal notice to our support team and we will tell you if it is real or a scam.
Open a Support TicketQuick Recap
- Domain slamming = fake renewal notices designed to steal your domain
- Only renew through your actual registrar (your client area)
- Enable WHOIS privacy to hide your contact info
- Enable auto-renewal for your domains
- Forward suspicious notices to support for verification
Domain security awareness · Last updated March 2026 · Browse all General articles
