Reminder to verify the accuracy of Whois data

Verifying the accuracy of domain registration information is a mandatory part of being a domain name owner. Because of this requirement, fraud can exist and deceptive email messages are making the rounds. Verifying your WhoIs data WILL NEVER REQUIRE PAYMENT.

If you receive any verification emails from any domain registrar¹, and if you have any doubt of the intention of the message, please forward to CWS – we can verify the authenticity of the email and also verify your contact information on your behalf.

We are glad to help with any of these messages – when in doubt, please check with us first.

Why do I receive these emails?

Each year, registrars¹ are required by ICANN² to send out these notices to domain name owners so they can verify their WhoIs³ domain registration and contact information. Policy dictates that domain name owners (registrants) are required to keep their WhoIs³ information up-to-date or they can risk losing their domains.

What should I do with these emails?

First, check your WhoIs³ information carefully and let us know ASAP if something is not right. In most cases, we act as your domain registrar¹ or we manage your domain name registration for you… which means we can update incorrect information on your behalf.

Sometimes these emails contain a link to verify the contact information is correct. If there’s a link, please forward the email to us and we can verify on your behalf. Because of the risks of clicking unverified links in unsolicited emails, CWS will gladly look at these and take any needed action on your behalf. When in doubt, always check with CWS before clicking these links.

How often will I receive these emails?

You can expect to receive these emails about once per year (as required by ICANN². You will also receive a verification email when a new domain is registered to your ownership. These initial verification emails WILL include a link that must be clicked to keep the new domain registration active. You have approximately two weeks to verify a new domain registration, and if you do not verify, the domain will become inactive. Do not wait, verify or send to us for verification as soon as you receive an email.

HELP, my WhoIs contact information changed

Any time your domain name contact info changes, let us know and we’ll update the WhoIs³ records on your behalf. You can check your WhoIs info (domain name contact info) by typing in your domain name on this page: https://whois.icann.org/en.

Reference

¹A registrar is an organization or commercial entity that manages the reservation of Internet domain names. In other words, your “registrar” points website viewers and emails (among other things) to the correct web server on the internet. More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_name_registrar

²ICANN – Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers. Among other things, it coordinates the internet’s naming system (aka domain names). Learn more here: https://www.icann.org/get-started

³WhoIs – the list of domain name owners, which includes all the pertinent contact and registration data for a domain name. Look up your WhoIs listing here: https://whois.icann.org/en