Chinese Domain Name Registration Scam: Jerry Liu and CN Domain Service Warning

What Does the Chinese Domain Scam Email Look Like?

Our email arrived from:

Jerry Liu
jerry@cndomainservice.com
General Manager

It began with an instruction saying:

"It's very urgent, so we kindly ask you to pass this email to your CEO."

The sender then claimed to be contacting us from a domain name registration centre in Shanghai, China.

According to the email, "Jiazhi Ltd" had submitted a request to register lovemyonlinemarketing as an internet keyword and to register multiple Chinese domains using our business name.

The email asked whether Jiazhi Ltd was our distributor or business partner in China.

At first glance, this can look like a registrar doing you a favour.



But that's where business owners need to be careful.

How Does the Chinese Domain Name Registration Scam Work?

The initial email usually doesn't ask you for money right away.

That's one reason it can be convincing.

Instead, the email creates a perceived threat:

Someone is trying to register your business name.

Then it introduces urgency:

You need to act quickly.

Finally, it asks a very easy question:

Is this company associated with you?

Replying opens the conversation.



The business owner may subsequently be encouraged to protect their company or brand by purchasing various Chinese domain names or "internet keywords", often at prices considerably higher than ordinary domain registration.

The important thing to understand is that receiving an email like this does not mean you should purchase anything from the sender.

We Investigated Jerry Liu and the Contact Details

This is where our particular email became especially interesting.

The email we received from jerry@cndomainservice.com contained the following contact details:

Jerry Liu
General Manager
Telephone: +86-2161918696
Fax: +86-2161918697
Mobile: +86-13816428671
Address: 12F Kaike Building, No. 1801 Hongmei Road, Shanghai 200233, China

Rather than simply trusting the company name or email address, we searched the phone numbers.

That produced a trail of remarkably similar emails stretching back over a decade.

The same telephone, fax and mobile numbers appear in a 2014 scam report under the name "Henry Liu", a 2022 scam report under the name "Adrian Liu", and multiple entries in the ScamWarners community database under names including "Robert Liu" and "Frank Lee". The fax number shows the same pattern.

That's more than a decade of the same three numbers being recycled under a rotating cast of "General Managers". It's one of the clearest signs this isn't a genuine registrar.

This Scam Has Been Circulating for Years

This isn't a brand-new trick.

Examples of the same email format, sometimes called domain slamming, have been found online for years.

The details change.

The business being targeted changes.

The alleged Chinese company changes.

The sender's name changes.

The domain being threatened changes.

But the basic story remains remarkably similar:

A Chinese company wants to register your business name. We noticed a conflict. Are they associated with you? Please respond urgently.

That repetition is one of the easiest ways to identify the scheme.

The Biggest Red Flags to Look For

If you receive one of these emails, look closely for several warning signs.

1. "Please Forward This to Your CEO"

The sender frequently begins by asking whoever receives the message to forward it to the CEO urgently.

This makes a mass email sound important while helping it reach someone who may be authorised to spend money.

2. Artificial Urgency

Words such as urgent, important, conflict and trademark can make business owners worry that failing to act immediately could cost them their brand.

Don't let urgency replace verification.

3. An Unknown Company Suddenly Wants Your Business Name

Ask yourself why an unrelated company you've never heard of supposedly wants your exact business name across several Chinese domains.



More importantly, independently verify the claim before doing anything.

4. The Mysterious "Internet Keyword"

The emails commonly don't just mention domain names. They also claim another company wants to register your name as an "internet keyword."



This terminology appears repeatedly across documented versions of these domain registration emails.

5. They Want You to Reply

Notice that the first email may not contain a payment link.

That can make it seem safer.

The objective of the first contact may simply aim to start a conversation.

6. The Contact Details Have a History

Search the sender's email address, telephone number, mobile number and physical address.

In our case, searching the numbers revealed years of highly similar emails under different names.

That's something every business owner can do before replying to an unexpected message.

Does Someone Registering a .CN Domain Mean They Own Your Brand?

No.

A domain name and a trademark are different things.

Owning a particular domain doesn't automatically give someone ownership of your business name or intellectual property everywhere else.

Likewise, owning an Australian domain or business name doesn't necessarily give you automatic rights to every possible domain extension worldwide.

Domain name disputes and trademark rights can become legally complicated, particularly across jurisdictions.

If your brand genuinely operates in China, or you're concerned about international trademark protection, get advice from an appropriate intellectual property professional and use an established domain registrar.



Don't make an intellectual property decision because an unsolicited email has frightened you into acting immediately.

Should I Register the Chinese Version of My Domain?

Possibly, but that should be your strategic decision, not a decision forced by an unsolicited email.

If China is an important market for your business, there may be legitimate reasons to register relevant .cn domains proactively, as part of a considered domain strategy rather than a panic purchase (our older piece on SEO best practices for domains covers the fundamentals of choosing and structuring domains well).

China's .CN country-code domain is administered by the China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC).

If you decide a Chinese domain matters to your business, research it independently and use a recognised registrar.

Don't use an organisation that unexpectedly contacted you simply because they claim someone else is about to take the name.

What Should You Do If You Receive This Email?

If you receive an email claiming someone in China is trying to register your business name, don't panic.



Don't reply immediately.

Don't click links simply because they're included in the email, and don't provide company information or payment details.

Instead:

1. Search the sender's email address and domain.
2. Search their telephone and mobile numbers.
3. Search a distinctive sentence from the email in quotation marks.
4. Independently check the domains through a reputable domain registrar or the relevant registry.
5. Speak to your IT provider, web developer or digital marketing company if you're unsure.
6. If genuine intellectual property issues are involved, obtain appropriate legal or trademark advice.
7. Report suspicious emails as spam or phishing where appropriate.

Most importantly:

Don't let the word "urgent" drive your decision.

Why We're Sharing This

Small and medium businesses are particularly vulnerable to emails like these because they can look legitimate at first glance.

A business owner might be managing staff, customers, accounts, marketing, suppliers and dozens of emails at once.

Then an email arrives saying:

Someone overseas is trying to register your company name.

The natural reaction is to protect the business you've worked hard to build.

That's precisely why messages like these can be effective.

We received one ourselves at Love My Online Marketing, investigated it and found that the sender's contact details matched a pattern of similar emails reported over more than a decade.

So we're sharing our experience in the hope that the next business owner who receives one searches Google before replying.

Maybe that's how you found this article.



If so, we're glad you checked.

If you received an email from jerry@cndomainservice.com identifying the sender as Jerry Liu and claiming another company wants to register your business name as Chinese domains, we recommend treating the message as suspicious and independently verifying the claims before responding or paying anyone.

The email received by Love My Online Marketing used:



Sender: Jerry Liu
Email: jerry@cndomainservice.com
Telephone: +86-2161918696
Fax: +86-2161918697
Mobile: +86-13816428671

Those telephone numbers appear in multiple publicly documented examples of the same or substantially similar Chinese domain registration solicitation, stretching back over a decade.

Don't rely solely on the sender's name because names and domains can change.

Search the email address, phone numbers and wording too.

Help Another Business Avoid the Trap

If you know other business owners, office managers or staff who look after company emails, consider sharing this article with them.

A two-minute warning could prevent someone from responding to a convincing-looking email and potentially spending money unnecessarily.

At Love My Online Marketing, we believe good digital marketing isn't just about getting businesses found online.

It's also about helping businesses understand what's happening online and make informed decisions. Whether that's flagging a scam email or building you a website that actually converts, our Wollongong web design team is here to help.

Come across a scam email doing the rounds? We'd love to hear about it. If you've been targeted by something similar (whether it's this scam, a different domain scam, or anything else dodgy landing in business inboxes), let us know, and we'll help spread the word so other local businesses can spot it too.