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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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

Vigilance enables Katwijk company to see off CEO fraudsters

Big-money scam prevented by diligent worker

Concept of a hacker at work on a PC in a dark room with blue lighting
  • Wednesday 30 March 2022

CEO fraud is a form of cybercrime where a scammer pretends to be one of an organisation's managers, executives or non-executive directors. They contact someone within the organisation or one of its business partners, and trick them into making a payment. Although CEO fraud is best known from headline-grabbing big-business scams, such as the Pathé case, the fraudsters are increasingly turning their attention to small and medium-sized enterprises. Fake domain names often play an important role in this type of crime.

Suspicious worker saves manufacturer

A Katwijk manufacturing company recently received an invoice from one of its distributors, requesting the urgent payment of €200,000. The company's Accounts team also received e-mails and phone calls from the distributor about the bill. Fortunately, one member of the team noticed that the bank account number on the invoice didn't match the one the manufacturer had used before to pay the distributor. Having become suspicious, the worker called the distributor and discovered that the payment request was a scam.

Typo-domain central to attempted fraud

Further investigation revealed that the invoice had been sent using a fake e-mail account based on a 'typo-domain'. Instead of the usual mail@distributorname.nl, the mail came from mail@distributor-name.nl. By the simple trick of using a domain name very similar to the distributor's real name, the crooks had been sending mail that looked at first sight as if it came from the distributor.

How can you avoid getting scammed?

In their article, the police team that revealed the scam gave some advice on how to avoid falling victim to a similar fraud. Their top tip was never let someone who claims to hold an important role pressurise you into departing from your established, secure payment procedure. The police also advised moving away from e-mail invoicing and going over to closed-network e-invoicing where possible.

Tackling typo-domains

Something the distributor in this case could have done is actively monitor the registration of domain names like their own. If someone else registers a domain name that includes your company name, they're probably up to no good. If your name is a registered trade name or brand name, it's often quite straightforward to get control of a lookalike domain name. Crooks aren't usually willing to fight you in court.

SIDN BrandGuard

SIDN BrandGuard promptly alerts you whenever a domain name is registered that's like your brand name. So you can take action before a crook can start an attack or abuse your brand in a lookalike scam or identity fraud. The service also lets you keep tabs on registrations made by your own organisation and its business partners, saving yourself reputational damage and high costs.