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I have recently discovered someone has registered about 30 domains in my name with my contact info (home address, office phone number) but someone else's email address. The one site for which I know the name seems to not have a web site attached to it (the whois query tells me there are 32 other domains registered to me but doesn't give names). At first I figured I would contact the registrar to get my contact information removed but I have discovered they are held by Yahoo domains which I understand has terrible customer service.

So my question is, should I go through the hassle of trying to get my info removed? As far as I know I have never been charged for any of these sites. I'm worried these are spammer sites and I may be held responsible in some way since my name is attached. Thoughts?

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    If they are actually registered in your name... The evil side of me would be tempted to accept them as a gift. Take em and point them at nothing.
    – Zoredache
    Nov 9, 2009 at 23:13
  • yeah, I thought that as I first step I would at least try to take control of them but I can't. I don't have the password to log into the Yahoo domain portal and can't get it since the email listed is not mine. Nov 9, 2009 at 23:31
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    Since it's your name/address/etc, just go through the "lost details, e-mail address incorrect" password recovery process for the registrar. It might involve faxing them some piece of identification, but if the domains are in your name you should always be able to get management of them.
    – womble
    Nov 10, 2009 at 5:24
  • well, we'll see how it goes. I have sent email to my best guess as to the yahoo email address. If I don't get a response I'll try to find an 800 number. Thanks for the comments. Nov 10, 2009 at 18:20

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I can't say for sure as I've never been in that situation, but I would definitely bring it up with the registrar who registered the domain name and at least start (and heavily document) the process as you're trying to remove your information from those 30+ domains. There's no telling what legal issues may lie ahead if they are spammers, hackers, or what have you.

If the Glenn Beck domain name incident/saga/whatever (link) has any hint of foreshadowing, I'd do everything in my power to document the entire process of you trying to get the registrar to permanently remove your information from the domain. And by documenting, I mean printing out emails, keeping letters and all communication organized should someone try to pin whatever it is on you. It's a boring catch phrase but it is "better to be safe then sorry".

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Hmmm... If I were you I'd be more worried about my bank accounts, credit cards, etc. at this point.

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    I agree - if the domains are in your name and address then the chances are that the stolen credit card used to buy them was yours too...
    – Alnitak
    Nov 10, 2009 at 5:10
  • I'm not to worried about that since I'm pretty sure I know the source of the stolen info. It involved a woman who worked at my company for two weeks before she was fired for forging checks. She had access to personnel info and a bunch of people at the company had had weird things opened in their names after she left. We figured out what happened about a year after the fact. Since then I have opened accounts with all the credit companies to watch for problems with my credit. Nov 10, 2009 at 6:04
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If I were you I'd atleast try calling up the customer service (even if you have'nt heard good things about them)-- who knows you may land that rare efficient hand and get a satisfactory response?Any time spent on protecting my identity/interest and plugging possible security holes is always time well spent in my book.

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