Spot phishing and fake DomainsOnline e-mails

Criminals send e-mails that look like they come from DomainsOnline – a “domain expiry” warning, an unpaid invoice or a full mailbox – to get your password or your money. These checks help you tell a real e-mail from a fake one.

Five checks before you click

1. Check the sender. Look at the full e-mail address, not only the name shown – on a phone, tap the name to see the address. The part after the @ must be exactly domainsonline.co.za. Look-alikes such as domains-online.co.za, domainsonline-billing.com or a free address (Gmail, Outlook) are fakes.

2. Check where the link goes. On a computer, point at the link without clicking: the real address appears at the bottom of the window. On a phone, press and hold the link. Our client area is always on https://domainsonline.co.za/. Be careful with addresses that only contain our name, such as domainsonline.co.za.login-secure.net – what counts is the part just before the first single /.

3. Check invoices in the client area. Our invoices come from our client area, and every invoice we send is also listed there. Instead of clicking a link in the e-mail, open domainsonline.co.za yourself, sign in and click Billing. If the invoice isn't there, the e-mail is not from us.

4. Watch out for pressure. “Your domain will be deleted today”, “your mailbox will be closed in 2 hours” – fake e-mails want you to act before you think. Take your time and check in the client area first.

5. Don't open unexpected attachments. Be especially careful with ZIP files, documents that ask you to “enable content”, and HTML files that open a login page.

Real e-mails from DomainsOnline

• We don't ask for your password or your card details by e-mail.
• You pay invoices in the client area. Online payment there goes through PayFast (Credit Card (PayFast)). If an e-mail asks you to pay into a bank account you don't know, don't pay – open the invoice in the client area and check, or ask us.
• Reminders about domains and hosting that you don't have with us are not from us. Compare the domain name in the e-mail with your list under Domains in the client area.

You clicked a link or typed your password?

1. Change the password straight away – on our real site, not through the link in the e-mail: Change your password for the client area, Change a mailbox password for a mailbox.
2. If you use the same password anywhere else, change it there too. See Strong passwords.
3. If you entered card details, call your bank.
4. Open a ticket and tell us what happened, so we can check your account.

Report a fake e-mail

If you received a fake e-mail in our name, let us know. See Report abuse (spam, phishing, malware). Then delete the e-mail.

Related articles

• Strong passwords
• Report abuse (spam, phishing, malware)
• Forgot your password? Set a new one

Need help? Open a ticket or call us on 082 412 6556.