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Scams are better than ever: how does a domain protect your business?

So what can you do to help customers and business partners trust your brand online? One of the most important steps is to register your domain name. At first, a domain may seem like something mainly connected to marketing or sales. But it also plays an important role in cybersecurity.

Domain is a business asset

A domain is fundamental part of your digital identity. It helps protect your business online, similarly to a trademark. You would not want someone else using your trademark for their own benefit: same should apply to your name on the internet.

It is important to understand one key difference: there can be more than one trademark with the same name, but there can only be one exact domain name. If you lose that name, you may not be able to get it back. Or may face a long dispute process.

When choosing a domain, remember this simple rule: use a generic top-level domain for international business, and a country code top-level domain for local markets. This means that in each target market, the local country domain gives the best protection for both your business and your customers. In Estonia, that domain is .ee.

Your company’s online presence may include social media channels and advertising. But from the customer’s point of view, your website is the main center of trust. It gives people one official web address and one email address to rely on.

How domains are used in cyber scams

If you have protected your name with a generic domain but have not registered the local version, you leave an opening for bad actors to take it. That can confuse customers or even cause financial loss. It also gives scammers a chance to use your name in different types of cyber fraud.

How can an unregistered domain be used in an attack? A scammer could create, in your company’s or brand’s name:

• an email address where only the domain ending is different

• a website used to collect customer data or run fake purchases

• a social media account that looks like it belongs to your business

• a payment request sent from a general email address

• a fake instruction to an outside partner to confirm, change, or cancel a transaction

These risks can lead to loss of trust and damage to your reputation. Both are very hard to rebuild later.

Personal names also need protection

Today, personal brands and public-facing leaders are becoming more important for companies. In addition, many important business decisions and actions depend on approval from a company leader. This also creates a new cyberrisk: if the name is not protected, a new weak spot is created.

For the same reasons, registering a domain based on your own name is also important for business owners and leaders, freelancers, consultants, public figures, and politicians. In other words, it matters to anyone whose personal brand is a key part of their work.

It is also worth knowing that you can register a domain without building a website right away. Taking this first step already gives you necessary first protection. You can always set up the website and other domain-related services later.

The next steps

Registering a domain is not a magic fix against cyber scams. It becomes truly valuable when it is part of wider digital hygiene.

This includes, for example:

• actively using the domain by creating and using a website and official email address

• setting up email security tools such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

• using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication

• renewing the domain on time

• registering similar spellings or name variations when needed, especially if the name includes special characters

A domain, together with a website, is a central part of building digital identity and trust.

Cyber scams are getting harder to spot

Cybercrime is becoming smarter, more automated, and more convincing because of new tools and new methods. Amateur-looking scams that are easy to notice are becoming a thing of the past. Today, scammers can copy a company’s visual identity, marketing style, brand, and tone of voice very well. This also means it is much easier for them to win people’s trust.

A domain is an important asset in a digital society. But more than that, it is also a critical part of a company’s security toolkit. Update your knowledge about domain-related risks and protect your name in the Estonian internet with a .ee domain through our service providers. You can register one for a period from three months up to ten years.