Canadian-based Internet Registry Fined by Competition Bureau Over Invoice Scam

A deceptive mail-out for the apparent renewal of Internet domain names has ended with the imposition of a $40,000 fine and a five-year prohibition period. The sentences resulted from a investigation by the Canadian federal Competition Bureau under the misleading representations provisions of the Competition Act into Mr. Daniel Klemann of Toronto and a numbered corporation carrying on business as the Internet Registry of Canada (IROC). The deceptive mail piece informed recipients that their Internet domain name registration was about to expire and gave several options for renewal. Designed to mislead recipients into believing that they were existing customers of IROC's domain name registration service, the literature also gave the impression of being an invoice mailed on behalf of a Canadian government department or agency. For a news release giving more details of the investigation and contact details for the Competition Bureau's Information Centre, see: http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/incb-bc.nsf/en/ct02863e.html. Summary by: The Editor