Pensioner's not amused about taking a gamble

By PETER GRIFFIN

It could be a classic case of mistaken identity - or part of an intricate web scam spreading from the heart of the Caribbean to the South Pacific.

Ngaruawahia pensioner Allan McConnell thought he was in the middle of a practical joke when he found himself the owner of a gambling-related internet domain name.

Venturing onto the web to send the occasional e-mail, the retired farmer never fancied himself as a cyber-casino operator.

But late last year, Mr McConnell received a letter prompting him to pay the regular renewal fee to keep possession of the internet domain name www.actioncitycasino.com.

Amusing at first, the situation turned alarming soon after when he received a letter from the lawyers of pet owners' portal www.neopets.com, accusing him of operating a "stealth site", routing web users who spelled the pet-related site's name wrong to a part of the net used for online gambling.

Legal action never eventuated but lately the letters from Network Solutions have again found their way to Mr McConnell's mailbox.

Last week a bill arrived from Network Solutions asking Mr McConnell to stump up around $US70 to renew his fee for yet another domain - www.actioncitysportsbook.com.

Bizarrely, that letter followed another thanking Mr McConnell for the renewal payment on his other piece of internet property www.actioncitycasino.com. Trouble is, Mr McConnell never made any payment - understandable considering he has never reserved himself a place in cyberspace, full stop.

Worrying junk mail aside, Mr McConnell has not been put out of pocket so far. But, understandably, he is not happy about his identity being toyed with on the web without his authorisation.

"I don't know how many other sites they've used my name for and what's the purpose of it," he said.

A browse of internet domain registries such as www.networksolutions.com and www.register.com show both gambling sites registered to a company called Stack Em Up Holdings, resident in the online gambling haven of Antigua, in the Caribbean. Mr McConnell's questioning letter to that organisation went unanswered.

And despite several e-mails to Network Solutions, Mr McConnell has been unable to distance his names from the sites to date.

Speaking to the Herald yesterday, a US-based Network Solutions accounts manager said Mr McConnell's case was unusual, but that his name would be removed as the registered bill-payer for the gambling sites if he wished.

A member of Network Solutions management would be in touch with Mr McConnell.

So, an end to Mr McConnell's identity hijacking? He certainly hopes so, but his case raises the issue of how domain name registries go about their business and the checking mechanisms they have in place to ensure the people they are billing are the actual domain owners.

Bob Gray, the chairman of New Zealand's domain registry, Domainz, said the company obtained details of those registering and paying for domain names via the post, connecting an address with a would-be customer.

"All I needed to sign up with Network Solutions was a credit card. It was all done via the internet. It could be that someone wants to hide their tracks by using someone else's name, but there are actually better ways of doing that."

A spokesman for Internet NZ, (formerly the Internet Society) said cases such as Mr McConnell's had so far not been reported.

But a widespread domain name scam in which internet users were asked to buy a "high-value" domain name for $250 had come to the organisation's attention.

Meanwhile, Mr McConnell is wondering if his part-time career in the casino industry will ever pay off.

"I wouldn't mind seeing the balance sheet - I wonder what my remuneration for this is?