You are the web master of an Office Live Small Business web site.  You get a letter in the mail:  “Your domain name registration is due for renewal.  $30.00 please.”

You get an email from “Microsoft.”  “We have experienced problems with our servers.  Please send us your password so we can repair your account.”

Both of these contacts are fraudulent and there are some important clues to help you determine this.

The Domain Registration Scam

First, if you are using your base, fourth-level domain name (e.g. mydomain.web.officelive.com) there will be no domain registration fees. 

If you purchased a custom domain name through Office Live Small Business (e.g. mydomain.com) the annual registration fees will be handled by Microsoft.  You will not be contacted or billed by a third-party domain registrar. 

On the other hand, you may have purchased your domain name elsewhere, for example, “Domains R Us,” and redirected it to your OLSB site.  In this case, you WILL be responsible for the annual registration fees to the third party.  Follow the terms and procedures specified by the third party and be sure you are working directly with them.

A further action you can take to check the validity of a possible domain registration scam is to do an internet search on the firm that contacted you.  See what others are reporting about their experiences with this firm.

The Send Us Private Information Scam

Emails requesting private or sensitive information constitute a classic phishing scam.  Passwords, credit card numbers and Social Security numbers are examples.  Microsoft, or any other legitimate business for that matter, will never request such information via email.  There should also be no coercive element (“your account is in jeopardy”) to such a contact.

Legitimate email contacts from Microsoft regarding your account will include the provisos, “Please confirm that your account and payment information is up to date,” and “Please do not respond to this message.”  Note that no information is requested via the email, in fact, you are told not to reply.

Monitor and Maintain Your Microsoft Accounts

Custom domain names, private registration, additional email accounts, more storage space and premium email are examples of optional, purchased services which may be associated with your web site account.  Recall that you were asked for a credit card number when you signed up.  Microsoft transactions will occur automatically using the credit card currently on file.

Approximately 30 days before a payment is due, you will receive an email advising of the upcoming transaction.  At this point, you will also be advised that you may cancel the service.  To verify that your billing and credit card information are up to date, log into the following site:

http://account.live.com

To sign in, use the owner's Windows Live ID and password associated with the web site account.  At this point, it is useful to familiarize yourself with the features and options of this site.

Click on the link “Billing Information.”  Under “Payment Type” you can verify that the credit card on file is current.  Under “Your Services,” you will see a list of optional purchased services for which you have signed up.  To view any current account activity, click on the current credit card number.

Note:  Don’t be alarmed if you see “Office Live Basics – Cancelled” under Your Services.  This is an old service which no longer exists.

Change Your Credit Card Number

Under “Payment Type,” click on the current credit card number.  On the next page, click on “Go to payment method information.”  On the next page, click on “Use a different payment method.”  At this point, you will add a new credit card number and remove the old number.

Two Easy Steps You Can Take to Mitigate Internet Scams

Private domain registration:  Private registration hides your personal information from view on “Who Is” web sites.  The low annual fee is worth the trouble avoided, in my opinion.  Sign up under “Add/Manage Services” at your OLSB site account home page.

Never publish your email address:  Publishing your email address on your web site or on any forum you visit becomes an open invitation to spammers, scammers and phishers of all sort.  Instead, use email links or your contact form on your web site.  Forums should provide for private messaging to other visitors.  Also be careful filling out surveys and signing up for things on the internet, where your email address is required.

Key Points

• Microsoft transactions will occur automatically using credit card information currently on file
• Microsoft will notify you by email of an upcoming transaction
• If your Microsoft account is current, you need take no action to maintain good standing.
• You can maintain and monitor your own Microsoft account at http://account.live.com
• Legitimate Microsoft emails will specify “Please do not respond to this message”
• You can develop habits which will help minimize problems from internet fraud