Have you ever searched for a domain name that you may want and found that it’s available however, instead of pulling the trigger at that very moment you decided to think on it a bit? A day or two passes and you decide “hey, I’m ready to get this domain name registered.” You search for that domain that you’ve now fallen in love with and BOOM… it’s gone… no longer available. What are the chances that someone else had the same idea to register the same exact domain name as you at almost the exact same moment. As much as you’d like to believe in coincidences, this is no act of synchronicity… someone has stolen domain name right from under you. It happens all them time.
I learned my lesson the hard way. I lost out on several domains names that I was registering for myself… and for my clients.
When I revisited only a few days later I came to find out the domain was no longer available. Was my domain of choice really that great and popular that someone else may have wanted it as well? I thought so the first time around, but the second time… no way. That’s too much of a coincidence.
Domain Name Poachers or domain name front running (DNFR) as it is technically referred to is the act of someone spying on your domain name search queries and then registering your domain name right from under you. YES, this does happen and, YES it SUCKS!!!
I did a little research and discovered the practice of “domain name front running (DFNR) was actually a “thing”. The web is filled with these unethical individuals who will do anything for a few extra dollars.
Here is a great article that goes into greater detail about DFNR:
https://www.domainsherpa.com/prevent-domain-name-front-running/
Photo by Alex Iby on Unsplash
