Sources:

http://www.chilipepperweb.net/domain-name-fraud.html
http://www.directoryone.com/domain-fraud-information.htm
http://domains.canadianweb.com/fraudsquad/faq.shtml

1. What is Fraudulent Invoicing for Domains?
We want to help you prevent your domain name registration from being moved to another company by being tricked into renewing with another provider.  If you receive mail that appears to be an invoice, which is in fact a solicitation for business, you may be the target of a fraudulent or false invoicing scheme.

2. Which companies are making these solicitations?
There are a number of domain registration companies looking to grow their businesses by stealing business from other companies.  Others maintain clients through simple inaction when registrants try to regain control of their domain.  While we welcome fair competition in the marketplace, some companies believe the best way to win business is to deceptively solicit existing domain name registrants from other companies. Wherever possible, these companies will target registrants with deceptive e-mails or postal mail, and trick them into moving their domain registration business.

Some companies recently reported to have been involved in this type of activity are:

Domain Registry of America (DROA) – click here to read about the court injunction filed against DROA by the Federal Trade Commission
Domain Registry of Canada (DROC)
Brandon Gray Internet Services, dba Namejuice
Verisign/Network Solutions
Register.com

3. What should I do to avoid being tricked into transferring my domain away from my current provider?
The best way to combat this is to simply IGNORE all communications regarding your domain name that do NOT come from your current provider.

NOTE TO ICONA CLIENTS:  If you are not sure about an invoice you may have received – be sure to contact us BEFORE paying anything.

4. What can I do if I’m already a victim?
The first thing you should do is contact the payment authority. In all likelihood, these transactions will not be processed if the company is not able to secure payment for the transaction. If you have already sent money to one of these companies, we suggest contacting your bank or credit card company immediately regarding your options to have any payment you may have authorized either stopped or reversed.

Major Credit Card Company Contact Numbers:
Visa Global Customer Assistance: 1-800-847-2911
Mastercard USA: 1-800-MC-ASSIST (1-800-622-7747)
Mastercard Canada: 1-800-307-7309
American Express: 1-800-528-4800
Diners Club USA: 800 2 DINERS (1-800-234-6377)
Diners Club Canada: 1 800 363 3333

5. How can I help make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else?
Report the incident to your current provider and the appropriate authorities!!  Proactively combating these sorts of unscrupulous business practices is the only way to ensure these companies are stopped.  This will not only help you, but all registrants, to enjoy the freedom to choose your provider and to be free from solicitations designed to deceive or trick you.  It will also help us aid you in the recovery of your domain.

Please report all incidents of solicitation to: icona inc.

6. How can I combat an incident of solicitation?
Incidents of solicitation should always be reported to your current provider.  Additionally, the following resources can be used to help combat these practices in general:

In Canada:
Businesses and consumers who believe they have been misled should contact the Competition Bureau toll free at 1-800-348-5358 or visit their web site located at: http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/epic/site/cb-bc.nsf/en/home


Report your incident using the Competition Bureau On-line Complaints form here: http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/epic/site/cb-bc.nsf/en/h_00130e.html

RCMP
Scams Protection – A Student Practical Guide: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/student-etudiant-guide-eng.htm

Competition Bureau of Canada
Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
50 Victoria Street
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0C9

E-Mail: compbureau@cb-bc.gc.ca

Toll free: 1-800-348-5358
Phone: (819) 997-4282
TDD (hearing impaired): 1-800-642-3844
Facsimile: (819) 997-0324

http://reports.internic.net/cgi/registrars/problem-report.cgi

Governing Bodies
Internic
ICANN


7. What other kinds of scams are out there?

“Another company is trying to register your name”
The first type of domain scam often involves a company phoning or faxing you claiming that someone is trying to register an alternative version of your domain name. Usually this is your domain name with a different country code extension, such as China (.cn). They will offer you the chance to register that domain name at a high price to “prevent the other person from taking your domain name”. They will often give you a short time limit, a few days or even a few minutes if it’s a phone call, to decide whether you want to register that domain name and prevent someone else from taking it. Popular scare tactics include the use of terms like “domain pirates”.

The people allegedly about to register the other name rarely, if ever, exist, although there have been instances where the alternative domains have been registered by “the other person”. If this happens, it is most likely that the domain scammers are “the other person” and have registered the domain name themselves.

Our advice is not to register any domain names with any company making such claims. If you feel the domain name is important to you, register the domain name online with us or another provider at much lower prices. You may be able to do this even while you discuss matters with the domain scammers.

Other Schemes:
If you have your own domain name and/or website, you can expect to receive a large number of “special offers” related to your domain.

The most common ones are:

Web Hosting: Offers to have your site hosted more cheaply and reliably than your current provider.
Search Engine Submissions: Offers to increase your site’s traffic through search engines.
Site Updates: Offers to improve your site’s design.
Marketing: Ways to advertise your site.
Bulk Email: Ways to target lots of people through mass emailing.
Except for bulk emailing (aka spam) each of these things are genuine measures you can take to increase your site’s performance… if they are undertaken by a genuine professional. However, no genuine professional worth talking to is going to send you an unsolicited e-mail touting their services, so you can safely assume that when you receive such offers, no matter how personalized they may seem, that millions of other people received exactly the same offer.  This is spam, and you should delete it without further consideration.

For more information about domain name fraud and scams, contact us directly. (403) 255-9767

“Customers who watch a product video are 85% more likely to purchase” – eMarketer

The web site required the inclusion of aerial photography, video, layered site maps and interactive building renderings that would evolve over time as the business park implemented its staged development. In addition, the web site was required to function on hand-held devices (including Smartphones and tablets) in order that commercial real estate brokers could effectively showcase the project’s attributes to clients in the field.

In addition to the design and interactive build and site hosting – our team provided project management and writing services.

This successful national vehicle and fleet leasing company restructured in 2011. In response to the company’s renewed business model and refined focus, Icona entered into an intense competitive, evaluation process to determine us as the best fit to the client’s needs.

Currently, and over the coming year, we are engaged to deliver strategic marketing services including: strategy development, video and web development, print design/production, social media, copywriting and photography services.

Working closely with the client team our project management prowess is ensuring all aspects proceed on time, on budget and that additional support is provided effectively as the client’s needs expand as the relationship develops.

Because the truth can set you free – and more importantly, make your business website profitable – here are three truths that you need to be aware of before you spend a single dime or waste a minute of your time:

Most companies simply aren’t different enough… online or off. You might know what makes your business unique, but to a customer clicking through search results, companies in the same industry or geographic area can seem very similar to one another. If your website doesn’t give some great reasons to work with you, and not someone else, then it isn’t doing one of its most important jobs.

Many businesses aren’t sure what they’re selling. This sounds silly at first glance, but we aren’t talking about simple products or services. While you might sell fishing gear or accounting services, what your customer really wants is a relaxing weekend or less time spent worrying about taxes. Know what you really offering to people and you can come up with the business website that makes it easier for them to buy it.

Taking inspiration from a competitor is a very bad idea. Imitating the competition can seem like a great way to gather traffic and grow your business, but ultimately you’ll hit a dead end, since you’re really just copying someone else’s blueprint for success. Before you design a business website, or launch a new online marketing plan, think long and hard about where your competitive strengths are, and don’t go forward until you have found them.

What each of these boils down to is one fact you can’t ever escape from: that no matter what business you are in, you need to have some unique selling points that are easy to identify and highlight. If you don’t identify those from the beginning, your online marketing plan is never going to achieve the kinds of results you’re hoping for.

Here are three reasons the right business web designer can do wonders for your bottom line:

Great business web designers ask the right questions. This doesn’t just lead to a better end product, but can also save you a lot of time in reviewing their layouts, the work they’ve done, and going back and forth with emails and phone calls. In other words, taking the time to start out on the right foot can save you a lot more of it later.

A great business website lasts longer. Your business website is like a suit: The cheap ones just don’t hold up very well over time. It’s not unheard of for a great business web design – and especially one built utilizing a content management system – to last five years or more. Something done quickly, or from a template, is far more likely to need an overhaul within a year or two. Are you really saving money in that scenario?

It’s hard to put a price on online marketing success. Why? Because the profits that could come to your company (online or off) from a great business website are virtually endless. That’s because it could lead you to hundreds of new customers, better publicity, less time spent on customer service, and even more efficient recruiting… to name just a few of the ways a good business website can pay you back time and time again.

It’s easy to focus only on the quotes you receive from business web design companies when you’re staring at a lot of numbers for what looks like the same type of website. Go a bit deeper, however, and you’ll see that the most expensive design isn’t always the one that costs you the biggest amount up front.

- Dave Taillefer, Business Director

Social media provides you with an incredible opportunity to tap into different communities and attract a potentially new set of clients and industries to your business. These new tools can generate a constant stream of inquiries, comments and conversation starters. Armed with a comprehensive engagement strategy you can attract a flow of new prospects daily – rather than the inevitable peaks and valleys of previous marketing campaigns.

But the leads generation tools and best practice you need to employ are very different to anything you’ve worked with before. Because social media isn’t Marketing, PR, Print, DIrect Response, Advertising, Customer Service or Brand Management – it can be none, some, or all of things in combination.

Icona can help guide your organization through your social media strategy, making sense of it as it applies to your company or situation. We provide a tactical overhaul, showing you how to make the transition from push marketer to conversationalist. We’ll show you how to leverage your existing content to generate debate, leads and interest and begin to build your online relationship presence.

Michael Wynn, Creative Director

TELUS International, a major player in the global contact center outsourcing industry, has aligned with Icona Inc. to help promote its expansions in the Asian market.

As a result of the site rebuild, TELUS International’s acquisition of Ambergris Solutions has captured widespread attention, with a 40% increase in traffic to the site following the launch.

Icona Inc. provided: Graphic Design, PHP Programming, and Database Design services for this project.

Task: To create an interactive website, providing a platform for communication amongst students, teachers, and stakeholders in the ‘Career Pathways’ program, in partnership with the Government of Alberta.

Approach & Delivery: Through involved planning with SAIT, the Calgary Board of Education, and the Calgary Catholic School District, Icona designed and developed a muti-user website, with layers of complexity behind the scenes, and an intuitive user interface.