Recently, sextortion and fraud emails are rising rapidly. These are threatening emails alleging that the recipient has been monitored conducting personal activities while watching pornographic videos.

Sextortion scams are a type of phishing attack whereby people are forced to pay a bitcoin ransom because they have been threatened with sharing embarrassing videos of themselves visiting adult websites or sharing other sensitive information to the recipients' entire contact list.

These scams claim that they’ve installed malware on your computer, and been able to watch, track and record all your online activities. They look credible as they provide slick technical details about how this was achieved, and sometimes the email also includes the recipient’s password. The password that they sometimes include may be real, however, it is also probably your old password. Those passwords are available on the dark web.

One of the example of sextortion emails looks like this:

What to do if you receive a sextortion email?

In case you received sextortion emails, do not panic. These emails are designed to play on your emotions, striking fear by saying things that would be true for the majority of people. But they probably don't have access to your computer nor the information they claim to have.

Whatever you do, don’t click on anything. You may simply delete the email and move forward.

But if you’re still worried, the other thing that you can do is to use a 2 factor authentication (2FA) if your service provider has it. This is to add an extra layer of security to your account to prevent someone from logging in, even if they have your password.

This extra security measure requires you to verify your identity using a randomized code sent via text or email each time you attempt to log in.

Remember, when you receive these kinds of email, be calm. Search for similar emails online, see if other people have received the same email. And, if they really have your data or alleged video, they'd send proof by attaching a screenshot or a clip.

This is to inform you that our partner Zoom Hosting (zoom.ph) is under temporary suspension since July 22, 2021. We have received a number of complaints from PH domain name owners that Zoom Hosting was unresponsive and unreachable resulting in the expiration of their domains.

As the PH registry, we would like to apologize for the behavior of Zoom Hosting and are working with them to improve the quality of service they provide. Their temporary suspension will be lifted once they comply with the minimum requirements we have tasked them to do.

We value all of our PH domain owners and we hold our registrar partners to a high standard in servicing their registrants. Our support channels are open to all PH domain owners if they have issues or concerns with their registrars.

This downtime notice is only for web hosting (Kloxo and cPanel) services. The PH registry was not affected by this incident.

Our services, which includes shared hosting, encountered an unforeseen downtime last Sunday, March 14, 2021, starting at 1:28 AM. This is due to a sudden power fluctuation on our datacenter service providers’ facilities (ePLDT-Vitro). During the incident, their UPS did not supply power to our entire server infrastructure, resulting into the service interruption. We were able to restore all services at 2:25 PM, the same day.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We are continuing to work with our service provider to avoid similar incidents in the future.

This downtime notice is only for web hosting (Kloxo and cPanel) services. The PH registry was not affected by this incident.

An unforeseen maintenance event happened in our datacenters last Sunday, January 31, 2021. Our datacenter partner (ePLDT - Vitro) had a maintenance activity in the power lines supplying the racks where our servers are located. Their UPS did not supply power for our servers resulting into an abrupt power interruption. This power interruption caused all our monitoring tools to go offline causing a delayed response of our IT department. We were also not made aware of the schedule and the severity of the activity.

We apologize for the inconvenience this downtime has caused and the delayed posting of this notice. The details of this incident was only shared to us yesterday, Feb 8, 2021.

We are now working with our datacenter partner to avoid this communication lapse and technical issues in the future.

Last March 25, as a way of helping out our valued customers during this uncertain time, dotPH made the decision to extend payment deadlines for PH domain renewals. The said extension has now ended this May 19.

If you are still unable to make your payments for renewals, you can contact us by sending an email to helpdesk@dot.ph, reaching us through our social media channels, or sending us a message through our website chatbox. If you are a nameholder under a dotPH registrar, you may email us at partners@dot.ph.

Once again, we’d like to thank you, our nameholders, for your continued support of dotPH!

In this fast paced digital world we're living in, you’re probably wondering how you can effectively establish your own personal brand and stay ahead of the competition. Having unique and searchable online content is a great way to stand out in any industry. Sharing expertise online allows you to create a persona that reflects your personal values and professional skill. So if you want greater control of your online presence and stand out among the rest, here’s how owning and using a personal PH domain can help boost your digital branding.

Personal PH domain name as an online resume. An online resume will grab your target employer’s attention. If an employer sees your website, they’ll likely click on it to see what you’ve got. Seeing you’ve taken the time and effort to build a website featuring work, experiences, recommendations, previous presentations and more will be a killer first impression. Besides, it will showcase your tech-savviness.

Importance of online portfolio to show off your work. It would be easier for your target customer or employer to find you if you have an online portfolio link using your personal PH domain. Imagine how convenient it is to share your portfolio using a PH domain, and it would be easy to remember too. With an online portfolio you can easily showcase your work and prove to your target customer or employer that you are capable of fulfilling their requirements.

Importance of online portfolio to show off your work. It would be easier for your target customer or employer to find you if you have an online portfolio link using your personal PH domain. Imagine how convenient it is to share your portfolio using a PH domain, and it would be easy to remember too. With an online portfolio you can easily showcase your work and prove to your target customer or employer that you are capable of fulfilling their requirements.

Greater control of your online image. By owning personal PH domain such as yourname.ph or any other variation of your name and domain suffix, you ensure greater control over your online presence. With a personal PH domain, you have a greater chance of controlling what people see first when they Google your name. You can be sure that your personal PH domain will appear on the first result when they search you. By far, it is the easiest way to be found online and also adds professionalism to your online image.

Gives you a unique and professional-looking email address. Having your own PH domain lets you have a personalized email address, such as your-name@your-domain.ph. Everyone knows that a personalized email address is more professional looking than a @gmail.com or @hotmail.com. It’s easier to remember and makes your email more memorable and reputable to others.

Having a personal PH domain can give a lot of benefits to your digital branding. An established reputation online could lead you to more job opportunities and can help expand your professional network. So securing a digital address should be the first thing you consider. Who knows, your next opportunity might come from a simple Google search by your future employer or client.

Often, people ask why it’s necessary to build an online presence, especially if you’re a small business owner or a freelancer. When starting your own business, one of the most important concerns is to develop your brand’s identity to the world. In this day and age, taking your business online is a must as this is what the majority of the businesses right now are doing on the internet. Having a website with the right PH domain is an effective method to showcase your personal/business brand.

Your brand says everything about you, your values, your vision, your mission, your objective, your service or product and what you promise to deliver to your customers. It is your most valuable asset. So how can the right PH domain help you establish and build a strong brand?

First, what is a domain name? A domain is your address on the internet. This is the name you or your business will use on the web. It will be your identity online.

Domains improve your brand visibility. Longer domain names are more difficult to type and recall. Best to have a domain name that is easy to remember. Choosing a PH domain will give you an edge over the .coms in the world since an array of domain choices are available locally. Your domain is the first thing your customers will notice when they visit your website. So if your website is relatively easy to find and navigate, you’ll increase your chances of a sale.

Adds professionalism and credibility to your business. The domain name should indicate your business or something about you. Many domain names follow the basic format of "yourname.ph" or "businessname.com.ph". Also, having your own PH domain lets you have a personalized email address, such as your-name@your-domain.ph.

Using a PH domain for your website and your business email address helps establish authority, credibility and professionalism, both online and offline. It leaves an impression that you are an established, legitimate business and as a result your customer will trust you easily.

Increases your search engine ranking. Be easily found - having a PH domain increases your search engine ranking. Local search engines will prioritize your website and you'll rank higher. As you establish your brand and develop your website with quality content, your PH domain will become more and more recognizable in search engines. So if your market is the Philippines, getting a PH domain name will give you an edge.

Free marketing and low annual fees. Purchasing PH domains can be an excellent way to reduce cost, particularly when you attach your domain to a website. Compared to traditional marketing, such as advertising in newspapers and other publications, there’s no need to spend extra just to update your profile or catalog. With a website you can feature an electronic version of your catalog, errors and typos can be easily corrected and products or services can be added or removed as needed. All you have to do is to pay a low annual fee.

The digital age is here and it offers more opportunities to freelancers and businesses. Essentially, your online presence can be used to showcase and establish your brand’s image and value. That being said, we hope that you too realize the importance of having a domain name and how it results in more customers and better sales.

Effective immediately, all expiring PH domains registered directly from dotPH will not need to be renewed for the next 30 days.

No need to rush to an ATM or deposit a check during this community quarantine. No need to pay us while your business operations are suspended. Please note that this is only applicable to PH domain renewals; and will not apply to hosting, G Suite, Office 365, or SSL Certificate renewals. Our suppliers aren't extending us that courtesy, so this is what we can extend to you.

We are happy to help you, our nameholders. It's our way of thanking the community for their support over the last 30 years! Please note that the 30 day period ends on May 19, 2020. So please remember to pay your renewal fee by then!

To avail of this, please contact our support people by chat between 9am-6pm, or send an email to helpdesk@dot.ph. If you are a dotPH Registrar and wish to extend the same courtesy to their PH nameholders in the Philippines, please contact partners@dot.ph.

After only over a month since the launch of the Domain Swap service, a domainer has struck gold by making the biggest sale for a swapped domain to date.

A domain buyer had swapped their two domains for two new domains and subsequently listed them on dotPH’s Marketplace for $5,000 each. Just two days later, one was bought at its listing price.

Domain Swap was launched with the purpose of simplifying the process of domain buying and registration. With the service, users wouldn’t have to jump through hoops trying to get the domains they want by repeatedly buying, selling or registering names.

Nowadays, domain buyers use methods like Domain Tasting to lessen their risks in domaining. Dito.ph’s sale could signify a change in domain buying. Domain Swap could cater to domainers who want to be shrewd about their domain purchases as well as buyers who immediately want to sell a trendy name or businesses that want to rebrand. One could also expect that with Domain Swap people might be more willing to dip their toes in domaining.

Whether or not the service will influence or cause any changes in methods in domaining is too early to tell. For now, we can only guess what will happen to the domain landscape in the near future with Domain Swap.

Last May 22, we released an innovative new service called Domain Swap that lets our registrants easily swap their current domain for a new one, whether it's for their personal brand or for selling on our Marketplace. Since then there has been significant traction among registrants swapping their domains. This includes a domain sale for $5,000 almost immediately after the domain was swapped.

The recent traction on Domain Swap is proof that there is a need for this service. Because of this we’ll be launching it on our Partner Console ahead of schedule. We initially planned on launching the service for Partner Console on Q4 but given the success stories we’ve seen with registrants using Domain Swap, we’ve decided to push its release to this month. Previously only available on the dot.ph site, Domain Swap is now available to our partners via Partner Console, and will be available on Extension Provisioning Protocol (EPP) soon as an EPP extension.

To date hundreds of domains have been swapped, with a steady influx of swaps coming in everyday. The service has become a quick solution for users to easily acquire the domains they want without having to buy or register a new one. And since it lets you swap names anytime for free, Domain Swap also prevents domain kiting and domain tasting, which is good for us (the registry) and you (the registrant).

If you want to swap your current domain for a new one, click here to try Domain Swap now. And if you’re a current PH registry partner, log in to Partner Console to know more.

dotPH, the official domain registry of the Philippines, is unveiling an innovative domain service: Domain Swap. The unprecedented concept will help domain buyers easily replace their unwanted or unused domains instead of purchasing or registering new ones.

With Domain Swap, registrants can exchange their current domain for any available name for free. And while most registries provide a limited 15-day grace period for newly-purchased domains, Domain Swap lets users change their domains at any time regardless of when they were purchased. Under the service, domainers can exchange standard .PH domains under all extensions.

Using Domain Swap, domainers can easily streamline their .PH domain collection by picking and choosing names that suit their brand. Also ideal for domain users either looking to rebrand or correct typographical errors in their domains, the free service will be a first for both country-code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) and generic TLDs (gTLDs). Domain Swap also targets buyers unsure about the names they had purchased and domainers who want to make the most out of their investments.

The idea of ‘swapping’ domains was inspired by role-playing video games in which players can swap items with one another. In this case, registrants swap their own domain for a new one using the service in the registry.