ICANN suspends Brandon Gray Internet Services (AKA Domain Registry of America, DROC, etc)

[Coastercraze]

http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/icann-suspends-brandon-gray-internet-services-demands-stop-sending-deceptive-marketing-materials

For those who don't know (who aren't based in the US, Canada, Australia, etc), this company basically snail mail spams you via your WHOIS info in regards to your domains renewal with the hope that you transfer to them. The letters could easily be mistaken for a bill.

Example:



ICANN has suspended them from registering domains until October 17, 2014 and have questioned their marketing tactics. They're on their way to a RAA termination soon if they don't clean up their act. It's about time something was done!

Official PDF from ICANN: https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/correspondence/serad-to-patel-18jul14-en.pdf

 

[Askforhost]

OK, that is one of the most weird tactic to gain new customers. :huh:

 

[trewq]

This is fantastic. The amount of these I receive is stupid high, they don't even get opened anymore.

 

[MannDude]

In before people claim spam junk mail is free speech and that Spamhaus ICANN is being a bully... oh wait.

 

[William]

In before people claim spam junk mail is free speech

Even if, it's still a violation of ICANN terms.

 

[Aldryic C'boas]

You're missing the point there, Will

 

[DomainBop]

In before people claim spam junk mail is free speech and that Spamhaus ICANN is being a bully... oh wait.

Well if Ecatel can claim that malware, botnets, and warez are expressions of free speech...

I'm surprised that it's taken ICANN over a decade to act on all of the complaints against these shitheads. Register.com sued Domain Registry of America back in 2002 over DRA's misleading marketing (old CNET article from 2002 http://news.cnet.com/Register.com-says-rival-duped-customers/2100-1024_3-955733.html) and the FTC brought action against them in federal court in 2003 (court documents: http://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/x040014/domain-registry-america-inc )

 

[HalfEatenPie]

YES FINALLY.

I've been getting these for a while now. It's always a terrible terrible thing they're doing.

 

[datarealm]

Alls I gotta say is ABOUT TIME!!!

We've had slews of clients through the years fill out that form without a second thought.

*sigh*

 

[ChrisM]

I got these about every other month then I tried having the mail person send them back as undeliverable/no such person when I would get it for a domain name and surprisingly it worked until I registered another domain. 

 

[D. Strout]

I've only gotten about three of these, ever, even though I own ~25 domains, very few with privacy. Still annoying, though. Good to see them being shut down, possibly for good. I do wonder what will happen to all the domains that are under their "management" due to customer ignorance.

For that matter, @datarealm I'm curious how they get EPP codes for the transfer, or do they just take the money and run? If that's the case, how is ICANN even involved? It would be a civil suit for fraud at that point, beyond ICANN's control.

 

[datarealm]

For that matter, @datarealm I'm curious how they get EPP codes for the transfer, or do they just take the money and run? If that's the case, how is ICANN even involved? It would be a civil suit for fraud at that point, beyond ICANN's control.

They started this practice before the EPP system was in place and all that was required to transfer a domain was a contact approval via email (and even that got overlooked at times).

Currently I believe that DROA states you will need the EPP code and once you return the form they will send you instructions on how to obtain it from your current registrar.  Which for some is finally the wake up call that they did something stupid. Whether you can get money back or not I suppose is debatable.  Can make arguments on both sides... DROA can claim you signed a document and the terms express that you need to get the EPP code and click the final approval link.  If you don't do that, not really their fault.  For the consumer, if the dont follow through, then really DROA has not provided any service that needs to be paid for.

As for ICANN's involvement, droa (or brandon gray internet anyways) is an ICANN accredited registrar.  That means that they signed a contract with ICANN, and ICANN now says that they breached that contract (through deceptive marketing practices).  So either droa quits what they are doing, or ICANN cancels their accreditation.  In the latter, they could try to resell through another registrar but it seems at this point they'll just keep getting cancelled as a reseller should they attempt that route.

 

[AMDbuilder]

Christmas came early!

 

[concerto49]

Had heaps of these in the mail.

 

[drmike]

I've seen so many of these "bills" from sad asshat factory.

Deceptive practice, no doubt about it.

But, it has been pretty effective in  getting people to overpay and transfer to these chaps.

Now let's not leave out their proper name / website: namejuice.com

Interesting on their address:

....

Markham, ON
L3R 0B3, CA

Which is in the Toronto metro area or close thereto.  Sheer volume of morons, scammers, etc. coming out of Toronto is massive.

As of May 2010, Brandon Gray was managing 132k+ domain names.  See: http://www.cira.ca/assets/Documents/Legal/Brandon-Gray/Affidavit-of-Kelly-Campbell.pdf

So....

The owner of this Brandon Gray from prior incorporation records, appears to one Mr. Peter Kuryliw. Peter Kuryliw was previously found guilty (in 2002) for deceptive practices with a bogus Yellowpages ad renewal scheme.  Sounds quite a bit like the domain stuff, ehh?

Director of Yellowbusiness.ca pleads guilty to deceiving Canadian businesses
 

OTTAWA, May 28, 2002 — Peter Kuryliw, the sole Director of 1473253 Ontario Incorporated, operating as Yellowbusiness.ca, pleaded guilty today to targeting over 40,000 business and non-profit organizations with a deceptive mailout for an Internet directory. The guilty plea results from an investigation by the Competition Bureau into Mr. Kuryliw and several other parties under the misleading representations provisions of the Competition Act. The investigation into the other parties is ongoing.
The mailout, dated May 25, 2001, asked recipients to send a payment to a postal box in the Toronto area for an Internet business directory that listed the details of their organizations. Bureau investigators found the mailings were made to appear as invoices from an existing service provider, such as Bell Canada or the Yellow Pages, requiring recipients to pay $85.55 when in fact they weren't customers.
The investigation in this case included the seizure by the Bureau and by Canada Post of mail containing an estimated $700,000 in payments for the fraudulently deceptive mail pieces.
"These invoices duped companies into believing they were customers of a service they never purchased when in fact the mailout was simply a business solicitation," said Raymond Pierce, Deputy Commissioner, Fair Business Practices Branch. "Deceptive practices of this nature will be vigorously pursued by the Bureau."
Mr. Kuryliw and 1473253 Ontario Incorporated were both charged in May 2001 with one count of making a false or misleading representation. Today, Mr. Kuryliw pleaded guilty in the Ontario Court of Justice – Toronto District and was fined $30,000. He was given 90 days to pay the fine and to dissolve 1473253 Ontario Incorporated.

 

[Francisco]

This guys such a scam.

In Canada, federal mail usually comes in an envelope that has a similar colour/texture to cardboard. The "Domain registry of Canada" sends their papers in the exact same envelopes just to scam people.

A friend of mines boss almost got suckered into paying for their domains in the US to this guy.

Infact, I just got notification for some of my IRC related domains just the other day.

Francisco

 

[nunim]

I think this is years over due.  I feel like most people are wise to their scam now but I have the occasional customer mention it still.

 

[drmike]

This group behind the domain renewal theftjacking is worse than you can imagine.

Go Google: benlolo brothers scams

Nina Benlolo (she'll show up later) is related to Simon (Sy) (now deceased), Alan and Elliot Benlolo.

They are well known in Toronto and elsewhere for their scams.

In 1993, Elliot was sentenced to nearly two years in a Canadian prison for his part in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy.

Alan got 18 months in a U.S. jail for mail fraud in 1998
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is still trying to collect a US$1-million fine levied against him.

Alan and Elliot Benlolo ...  elaborate stock swindle that stole millions of dollars from victims in Canada, the United States, Australia and more than a dozen other countries around the world.

Then in 2004:

Alan and Elliot Benlolo received three-year sentences for running a scheme in which businesses received what appeared to be bills to pay for listings on either of two Internet business directories, YellowBusinessPages.com or YellowBusinessDirectory.com. Simon Benlolo received a nine-month conditional jail sentence, including three months house arrest, plus a $100,000 fine.

Big expose on the brothers here:

http://www.investorvoice.ca/PI/1294A.htm

You ask how it ties togther?  Simple.  Nina Benlolo was involved with Peter years back:


https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpDtls.html?corpId=6294511

Corporate Name
BEN-KUR INVESTMENTS LTD.

Care of: PETER KURYLIW AND NINA BENLOLO
70 PARR PLACE
THORNHILL ON L4J 1A8
Canada

70 Parr Place... hmmm...

Similarly named Ben-Kur, Inc. on this one...


Corporate Name
Ben-Kur Investments Inc.

Care of: PETER KURYLIW AND ELLIOT BENLOLO
70 PARR PLACE
THORNHILL ON L4J 1A8
Canada
There we have Elliot and Nina at the same infamous 70 Parr Place address...

These matching mansions owned by two of the posh brothers...

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/27799795



This latest company --- Brandon Gray --- has a Marilyn Benlolo as the public patsy. 

 

[drmike]

Funny thing is the .ca domain regulation body put most of that out there in the past when they stripped this company of being a .CA domain registry a few years back.

 

[Onra Host]

I get tons of these stupid letters in the mail. About time someone did something about it!