What is CyberSquatting?

Why do I always see web pages without any content, advertising their domain name for sale?

This is called Cybersquatting, and it is a deceitful practice that some people engage in to make money online.

In real life, a squatter is one who takes up residence in a place in which they do not have permission to inhabit. On the Internet, a cybersquatter is one who registers domain names containing names and trademarks belonging to others in order to profit from them. Popular targets include names of people, companies, and other trademarks. Once they have a domain, cybersquatters have a number of methods for generating profit.

Advertisements

A cybersquatter may take advantage of a domain name that includes profitable keywords by installing advertisements. Visitors may arrive at the site seeking information related to those keywords, and click on the ads. The cybersquatter is paid either when an ad is clicked, after a certain amount of ads are displayed, or after a visitors makes a purchase or signs up for a service.

Selling Domain Names

A cybersquatter will bank on gaining control of domain names that feature common names, names of organizations, well-known references in popular culture, or trademarks. The cybersquatter may put up a notice advertising the domain for sale, or contact parties who he thinks might be interested in purchasing the name. The goal is to gain control of the domain before others who might have a real need for it, then sell the domain for much more than it was originally purchased.

Typosquatting

Typosquatting is another form of cybersquatting in which the squatter registers misspelled variations of established domain names. Have you ever incorrectly typed the address of a popular web site or search engine, and landed on an unfamiliar web page filled with advertisements? If so, then you have had first-hand experience with a typosquatter. Typosquatters rely on drawing a small percentage of another site’s audience to their advertisements through typographical errors.

Dealing with Cybersquatters

If you arrive at the web site of a cybersquatter or a typosquatter in error, your best best is to just leave immediately. Clicking on their advertisements has no real benefit for you, and I do not advise purchasing a product or service from someone whose business is based on deceit.

The cybersquatter’s site is not what you were looking for in the first place anyway. If you cannot remember the exact URL of the site you are looking for, well, do I really have to say it?