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Frequently asked questions

  • I am looking for a domain name registrant. Where can I look it up?

    The Whois is an easy-to-use tool for checking the availability of a .nl domain name. If the domain name is already taken, you can see who has registered it.

    On the page looking up a domain name you will find more information about what a domain name is, how the Whois works and how the privacy of personal data is protected. Alternatively, you can go straight to look for a domain name via the Whois.

  • I would like to transfer my domain name to another registrar. What is the procedure?

    To get your domain name transferred, you need the token (unique ID number) for your domain name. Your existing registrar has the token and is obliged to give it to you within five days, if you ask for it. The procedure for changing your registrar is described on the page transferring your domain name.

  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date. How can I get them updated?

    To update the contact details associated with your domain name, you need to contact your registrar. Read more about updating contact details.

  • Why is my domain name in quarantine?

    When a domain name is cancelled, we aren't told the reason, so we can't tell you. You'll need to ask your registrar. The advantage of quarantine is that, if a name's cancelled by mistake, you can always get it back.

    One common reason is that the contract between you and your registrar says you've got to renew the registration every year. If you haven't set up automatic renewal and you don't renew manually, the registration will expire.

  • Ik heb een klacht over mijn provider/registrar. Kan ik daarvoor bij SIDN terecht?

    Wanneer je een klacht hebt over of een geschil met je registrar dan zijn er verschillende mogelijkheden om tot een oplossing te komen. Hierover lees je meer op pagina klacht over registrar. SIDN heeft geen formele klachtenprocedure voor het behandelen van een klacht over jouw registrar.

  • What conditions do I have to meet as a registrar?

    Would you like to be able to register domain names for customers or for your own organisation by dealing directly with SIDN? If so, you can become a .nl registrar. Read more about the conditions and how to apply for registrar status on the page becoming a registrar.

More frequently asked questions

Cybercrooks use fake websites to harvest health insurance data

  • Tuesday 25 September 2018

Cybercrooks are looking to scam Dutch people when they review their health insurance cover. That's the conclusion of a study by SIDN (the Foundation for Internet Domain Registration in the Netherlands). The study found more than 450 phishing sites with domain names like the names of well-known health insurers. That's very worrying with the Dutch government's annual policy presentation approaching, because many people weigh up their health insurance options in the period just after the statement.

Typosquatting

A trick known as 'typosquatting' is central to the scams. It involves registering a domain name that's nearly the same as the name of a trusted brand or organisation. So you might easily type it by mistake, or not notice the difference if you saw the name. The crooks link the lookalike domain name to a fake website, which some people then land on when looking for the brand or organisation in question. The domain names are also used in adverts that appear in your search engine when you search on related keywords. One of the most common typosquatting tactics is to trick people with a domain name that's like a big company's name except that the letter 'o' has been replaced by a zero. People glancing at the name often overlook the difference and think that they're visiting the company's site, when really it's a fake.

Analysis

SIDN used SIDN BrandGuard to find all the domain names that incorporate or closely resemble the names of Dutch health insurers. The scan got more than 14,500 hits. The flagged domain names were then classified using an automated procedure that looks at various characteristics. The classification process isn't 100 per cent reliable, but gives a strong indication of how the domain names are being used.

Univezorgzaam.nl

More than half of the domain names identified by the initial scan seemed to be linked to normal websites. However, the classification indicated that 3 per cent of them (451 domain names) were being used for phishing. One was 'univezorgzaam.nl'. Dutch internet users could easily expect that domain name to belong to a website or app run by Univé, one of the country's biggest health insurers. It actually leads to appsware.com and a screen encouraging visitors to install a 'secure browser'. In reality, the browser is far from secure, but incorporates hard-to-remove malware. Scammers are exploiting Univé's brand familiarity to distribute malicious software. The procedure to get the website taken down is currently in progress.

Health Insurence data are worth money

"We're seeing more and more internet crooks jumping on the bandwagon when a topic is in the news or a new tool or service comes in. Scams linked to health insurance are part of that trend. It's therefore important that insurance companies are on the lookout in the busy period after the government's annual policy presentation," says Roelof Meijer, SIDN's CEO. "Scammers are really keen to get hold of health insurance data. On the black market it can even be worth more than credit card details, because it can be used to make fraudulent claims."