This is the full long winded reply from the internationally.com cyber squatter, which was basically blackmail for $500, holding our crel.com domain name as ransom. Notice they say the domain is NOT intended for sale. However, not long after sending us this email and getting no agreement from us to pay them for it, it went up for sale.
From: "EURONIC.COM Domain Development Group"To: Vincent Stemen Subject: Our crel.com domain Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 15:28:43 -0500 Dear Mr. Stemen. Thank you for your patience. I' m ready to assist you. ------------ This domain name was registered via a Registrar other then Network Solutions and *IS NOT* intended for sale (was registered for web development) though we may assist you in acquiring this domain. We *ARE NOT* interested in bids for this domain name and it was registered on our customer request. The Domain transfer procedure is not yet well elaborated with this Registrar and will take more time / resources, so we may proceed with your request *ONLY* provided you have a serious and *NOT* an accidental or temporary interest in this domain. We appreciate your interests and only ask for appropriate actions on your side. What we can do in this case is *to assist you* in your situation and *NOT* being done according our normal commercial activities though our normal accuracy and technology will be used. Failure to understand our position may immediately lead to impossibility to discuss this matter further: we have *NO* commercial interest in it and are able to assist *ONLY* provided our normal / conventional compensation fee is paid fully in advance. We can assist you *ONLY* provided we meet appropriate understanding on your side: we have *ABSOLUTELY NO* material interest in selling this domain and agree to do our work *EXCLUSIVELY* on compensation basis. Normal lawyer fees will apply. Absolutely minimal price/expenses threshold for this domain is $500. We have no possibility to proceed below this threshold. The Domain transfer procedure consists of several *time comsuming stages*. On current stage, only name servers will be set up (you will be able to use this domain fully; the domain will be considered as reserved to you and will have if possible your information as a Contact); as only the Registrar implements reliable normal procedure to transfer the domain to you, we will finalize the transfer. If the Registrar handling costs will be lower then expected, we will accept less sum. For the first stage, you wire transfer us (send the check) for the *HALF* of the agreed sum ($250). Immediately after it arrives to us, we set up the domain for your use. We do *NOT* accept full sum in advance. If this is acceptable, then please read more. ------------ Optionally, we may organize *DELETION* of the domain name with subsequent registration of the domain with Network Solutions; this procedure is *LESS* expensive though NOT completely reliable. It will be then $300. (In this case) We will be held responsible ONLY for our best efforts to do it. In a very improbable case of failure with re-registering of this domain, we refund FULLY the sum paid to us plus HALF of it as compensation (wire transfer only). ------------ This letter contains *ALL* necessary information, in particular: 1. Wire transfer instructions: account details and / or address to send a check (scroll down); 2. Your details we need to transfer the domain to you. Please read it carefully. It will allow us to avoid extra time expenses. ------------ The domain reserved to you temporarily for 3 work days (for you to decide); immediately after you inform (within these 3 days) that you are ready to proceed, the domain will be reserved to you finally. Notification *IS NECESSARY* for us to start processing your order. If no confirmation received, then the domain(s) status has to be enquired / confirmed again. ------------ Payment options: wire transfer, checks. *NO* Credit Cards for domains. Status (available) guaranteed: 3 *work* days. This is preliminary notification only. Will be reserved *ONLY* after you confirm that you are ready to proceed. If you require more time to decide, we should be notified. Please notify when you wish to proceed. Our Terms below. Below, **ALL** information is included: 1. WIRE TRANSFER INSTRUCTIONS: ACCOUNT DETAILS 2. Your details we need to transfer the domain to you. If you already sent your address details, no need to duplicate them. Best regards, Alex Maister, PhD. Lawyer I can be reached by email or: Tel.: +358 40 775 1203 (Finland) ---- If you have a *very urgent request* and believe it deserves special attention, or just to save time, to be contacted by phone, send your request with your phone number to: phone@internationally.com -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://fiducia.com http://neonet.com http://juriscom.com http://corpwatch.com http://reddot.com -------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ Please be sure you left your Name / Organization Name, phone number for us to be able to call you if necessary. In most cases, emails which do not contain Name / Phone number can not and WILL NOT be processed. In no case a reservation for a domain name can be made unless we have a possibility to contact you promptly by phone. ------------ Full Price - $500. Doman description: This domain is registered with properly accredited Registrar: ( see whois for detailed information) Current Price of domain registration / ongoing maintainace is about $15 per year (with CORE INTERNET COUNCIL OF REGISTRARS). ------------ Full use of the domain is possible in 2-5 days (depending on whether your ISP' name servers are registered with this Registrar or no). Later, as only this Registrar will implement (as planned) *full* change of ownership, we will notify you and transfer the domain to you. Currently, their "change of ownership* is not full and technically not perfect: (strong limitation of their DataBase management principles) the domain still has to be administered by the party that initially registered it (their database is organized this way; though all fields can be changed: owner, Admin-C a.s.o.). It is our proinciple that we transfer domains to your full ownership without any of our control left; therefore, we can not oblige to transfer the domain to you under our normal business terms. We offer that we wait a little while their procedures are more developped (as they assert, it will be soon). ------------ You only need to remit (send) the payment to us and provide Your details. The rest is ours. We create appropriate Registrar handles (Contacts) for you (if necessary), transfer the domain to you and notify with updates. ------------ Our procedure is as follows: as only the funds arrive / are deposited and we receive from our bank the Payer's name (the next bank day; so that the payment is identified properly), we transfer the domain to the Payer according the information the Payer provided as soon as possible within normal Registar procedures. ------------ Payment options: wire transfer / checks. If payment is made by check, please add $30 to the above price for check processing. Credit Card payment: currently *NOT implemented* yet for domains. When you are about to wire the funds / send the check, you notify us. The domain is then secured and reserved to you. ------------ Included are: ** wire transfer instructions / address for checks**; ** Your details ** Address form (you fill out and send to us. ------------ ** wire transfer instructions ** Please indicate in the payment details **which domain is the payment for** or send us email with the *Exact* name of the payer (so that we follow up and properly identify the payment). **This is VERY IMPORTANT. Please do it.** Please notify immediately when you make the payment: it allows us to operate smoothly and ensure reliability. We can transfer the domain *only* after the payment is properly identified. ---- WIRE TRANSFER INSTRUCTIONS: ACCOUNT DETAILS Beneficiary: Forum Enterprisers LLC. Address: 54 Valtakatu, Lappeenranta, 53100 Finland ---- Beneficiary's account: 109142-826 Beneficiary's bank: MERITA BANK plc. bank Adress: Valtakatu 33, 53100, Lappeenranta, Finland Lappeenranta branch, Finland SWIFT MRITFIHH ---- *Additionary details* ---- In US, MERITA BANK plc. has next correspondence banks: THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, NEW YORK BANKERS TRUST COMPANY, NEW YORK THE BANK OF NEW YORK, NEW YORK CITYBANK N.A., NEW YORK many others. ---- When you transfer money to Finland to Merita Bank plc., you need to know the account number and (optionally) Merita Bank's SWIFT CODE: MRITFIHH (SWIFT is widely used in Europe). Your bank officer should be able to find all necessary info (like routing No.) from the details provided above (correspondence banks). SWIFT code is the same kind of identification for Banks (common in Europe) to allow banks to locate each other as or similar to ABA codes and Routing No. If your bank experiences difficulties with it, please contact us. ------------ Optionally, payment can be made by check SENT TO Address: Lawyers ECLEX OY, Forum Enterprisers LLC. 54 Valtakatu, Lappeenranta, 53100 Finland ------------ The check should be payable to: Forum Enterprisers LLC. Please indicate in the check which domain is the payment for. ------------ Please NOTE the company's EXACT name: Forum Enterprisers LLC. (*NOT* e.g. Forum Enterprises LLC.) ------------ Or (exceptionally), cash in secure mail (Fedex) can be sent to the same address. ------------ ------------ We need your details (Address and Name Servers (Name Servers *optional*)) to transfer the domain to you. Fields marked * are optional (if you do not know what to fill, leave blank). 4c. Name (Last, First).........: 4d. Organization Name..........: * 4e. Street Address.............: 4f. City.......................: 4g. State......................: 4h. Postal Code................: 4i. Country....................: 4j. Phone Number...............: 4k. Fax Number.................: * 4l. E-Mailbox..................: The Section above is enough to transfer the domain to you. ------------ The information below is for reference purposes mostly. Read it later *ONLY* when you have enough time. No need to do it now. ------------ *Commentaries* ------------ ** Your details ** ____________ To transfer the domain to you (create a NIC handle), we need to know Your details (to whom we should transfer the domain). ------------ When filling out the address form, please remember: the most critical is E-Mailbox. It should be valid/reliable. Other fields are of much less importance. ------------ Please fill the form given below and submit it to us. NOTE: if you have an NIC handle (for InterNIC/Network Solutions Inc. domains), enough if you let us know the NIC handle (or your existing InterNIC/NSI domain). If the domain is registered with another Registrar (zone), it will also help: such records normally contain reliable and correct information. ------------ Fields marked * are optional (if you do not know what to fill, leave blank). Administrative / Technical / Billing Contact 4c. Name (Last, First).........: 4d. Organization Name..........: * 4e. Street Address.............: 4f. City.......................: 4g. State......................: 4h. Postal Code................: 4i. Country....................: 4j. Phone Number...............: 4k. Fax Number.................: * 4l. E-Mailbox..................: ------------ * Also: For domains to *work*, required are Names Servers (valid, i.e. registered with InterNIC). Normally, you get them from your ISP / hosting company. We ask you to provide them (2 min.) on this stage. Names Servers are like fuel for you car - actually, you need them when you actually need to drive. You get Name Servers from your ISP's (hosting company's). ------------ Status/ Price / offer active: within 72 hours. Beyond this, needs to be confirmed again. Within these 72 hours (per one transaction), you are offered to decide if you wish to purchase the domain name (or pay for it if it was already agreed) and inform us. It means 72 hours within which we have to receive a firm answer (and NOT time for check in mail or wire transfer which may depend on and normally takes more time). If you need more time to decide, there is no problem with it - just notify us. Notification is necessary. *Only* after we are notified, the domain is secured /reserved to you. We do not auction domains. If no confirmation received within 72 hours, the domain status / price has be enquired again. ------------ We are dedicated to providing reliable services. However, we can not be liable for the Registrar errors and delays. You agree that our liability with this Registrar is limited to the sum *actually paid to us* and HALF of this as compensation. Our obligation is to make our best efforts to protect your domain and behave with the same level of accuracy as we normally do regarding our own property. ------------ By continuing, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions described here. ------------ Regards, EURONIC.COM Domain Development Group -------------------------------------------------------------------- Forum Enterpisers LLC. 54 Valtakatu, Lappeenranta, 53100 Finland -------------------------------------------------------------------- Domain Registrations - Linguistic researches -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://internationally.com http://domainos.com (Best, GMT 09.00 - 19.00) Tel.: +358 40 775 1203 Fax: +1 818 4751482 -------------------------------------------------------------------- EURONIC.COM Domain Development Group http://fiducia.com http://neonet.com http://juriscom.com http://corpwatch.com http://reddot.com -------------------------------------------------------------------- -----Original Message----- From: Vincent Stemen To: domainreg@internationally.com Date: Wednesday, March 08, 2000 9:14 AM Subject: Our crel.com domain > >Sirs. > >I was in the process of transferring our domain, crel.com, from Network >Solutions to namesecure.com but before we were able to complete the >process, it had changed to your company in the whois database. Please >advise us what is going on or what we should do. crel.com has been our >domain for years. namesecure.com said it changed registrars just minutes >before their request to network solutions went through. I do not know how >this happened. Network solutions told me the domain would not be released >for a month if it was not transfered the day before we mailed the >notarized letter to namesecure.com to transfer it. We have not been able >to reach network solutions since then about it on the phone no matter what >time of day we try. > > >Vincent Stemen >