A fake domain has been reported, but after the vetting process, we have found out the client is not part of civil society but is a commercial entity or out of mandate for other reasons.
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Handling Fake Domains in Out-of-Mandate Cases

What to do if a fake domain is reported by a client out of mandate

Problem

Access Now Helpline, as a responsible CERT, is willing to responsibly report fake domain cases with commercial involvement. However, commercial entities and other types of requestors are not under Access Now’s mandate, and therefore the amount of resources to handle this type of cases should be as limited as possible.

Solution

Optional steps:

  • If the domain is a country-code top level domain, contact the local CERT.

  • If the domain is a generic top level domain, contact the local CERT of the country where the commercial entity is registered.

  • If there is no local CERT, report the malicious activity directly to the registrar responsible for the domain.

A list of CERTs per country can be found here.

Comments

For cases of fake domains within mandate, please see Article #342: Handling of Fake Domains

Tags: fake_domain_mitigation articles