Scam Alert – New Domain Appraisal Scam: website-domain-hosting.com and Dirk Engelmann

Last month I found a scammer trying to use one of the oldest and most effective scams in the book, the Domain Appraisal Scam. This scam works when the scammer sends you an email indicating they would like to buy your domain name. You get all excited and send back a price, magically they agree, but first they want to see an appraisal from a “trusted” source.

In most of these scams they reference a blog post which recommends them, this site is also run by the scammer. The scammer owns the appraisal site and the blog, so when you get your appraisal they keep the money and disappear.

This scam has been going on for years now and I have always been committed to alerting the community to these the moment I know about them. The latest scam comes from the alias Dirk Engelmann with an email address from website-domain-hosting.com. IF you receive an email from this person, do not use their appraisal service, this is a scam not a real offer on your domain.

The email you will receive should look something like this:

I’m thinking about 14,000 – 15,000 USD for your domain. What do you think about this price range? I have 400,000 budget for 30-40 names.
But I need a professional valuation (domain appraisal) from you first. Without a professional appraisal we both cannot be 100% sure in the final sale price. It will minimize my investing risks.
Of course, we must engage a valuation company with a REAL manual service. I don’t trust automated services from companies I’ve never heard about.
I also need an appraisal service which verifies a possible trademark infringement. It’s important for me to know that you domain has no problems with trademarks. You should not worry about it. You don’t need to pay a fee for this trademark verification service. Some good appraisers include this option (trademark infringement verification) as a free bonus to the
appraisal service.
To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal services with the trademark verification option. Please check this blog with suggestions from other sellers and buyers: http://www.forum-windows-club.com/Archive/592164803.htm
If, for example, the valuation comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly. It will be fair.
After you send me the professional valuation via email (usually it takes 1-2days to obtain it) we’ll continue our negotiations.
What is your preferred payment method: Escrow.com, International wire transfer, PayPal.com or something else?
Hope we can come to an agreement fast.
Looking forward to your reply.

Please help spread the word so that nobody else falls for this scam. As always I will continue to alert you the moment I know of a new scammer. If you know have received an email from one of these scammers please feel free to share it in the comment section below.


Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton