Received a strange invoice? Read this!

Written by:
Leo Hoogma, 14 September 2020

It's a trick as old as humanity itself: scam. Recently, various entrepreneurs have reported to us that they have received an invoice from a so-called domain hosting company. Fortunately, these entrepreneurs have asked us whether they should pay this invoice (not do it!), But there are always fewer fortunate people who, under pressure of deadlines or simply due to insufficient knowledge about hosting matters, - unfortunately - do pay the received invoice.

"NL Domein Host" and "Domeinhost Nederland"
The `company` that sends these so-called ghost invoices does so under the names NL Domein Host and Domeinhost Nederland. They send e-mails or letters with the following message:

"Subject: Domain registration 2021/2022

Dear Sir / Madam,

Please find enclosed the specification regarding your domain registration for 2021/2022.

Hopefully we have informed you properly.

Sincerely, Petra Van Dijk
Customer service
NL Domain Host
info@nldomeinhost.nl"

It may seem superfluous to say, but do not pay the accompanying invoice.

Know who your web host is

Do you know who provides the hosting for your domain name? Fine, then you are already a big step ahead of these types of rogue companies. Do you have no idea of the ins and outs of your website? Then we are happy to give you this - short - course on domain hosting.

1. You have a company and would like a website. You approach a website builder, or a web design company, such as Hoogma Webdesign in Beerta. This company builds your website according to your specific wishes (custom website), or you take a CMS website. This is a standardized system, where you can determine options such as color, house style and buttons, plus of course the content of your website.


2. You determine the domain name of your website and have it registered with a supplier of domain names, or a SIDN Registrar.

Your website is now ready for launch, but before it can go online, you still need to arrange 2 things:

• Your website must have an SSL certificate , which ensures a secure connection from the computer of the visitor to your website, to the server on which your website is running.
• You must connect your website to the internet, which is done through a server. The web host provides this connection for you. If you are a customer of Hoogma Webdesign, we will take care of the hosting and the SSL certificate for you.

Now you know who is hosting your website. So if you receive an invoice from a different company than your hosting company, you do not have to pay it and do not be afraid that they can take your website offline, because they cannot.

Don't fall for it

Just to be clear: NL Web Host and Webhosting Nederland are not existing domain registration companies. They are scammers who try to take money from you by means of ghost invoices. Don't fall for it or pay for it. Are you unsure about a received invoice? Please contact us and we will be happy to help you.

Have you received a ghost invoice? Always report this to the Steunpunt Acquisition Fraude. By bundling the complaints, the Steunpunt Acquisition Fraud can combat fraud more quickly.

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