How to report a fake store to Dynadot

Dynadot is a domain registrar. It controls the registration of the domain, not the website files. If a fake store of your brand uses a Dynadot domain, Dynadot can act on the whole domain. That can take every page offline at once.

Dynadot is the registrar we see most often on clones of Shopify stores. Many clones of one brand often sit at Dynadot together, so one report can cover several of them.

Checked against Dynadot’s public pages on October 14, 2026. This is not legal advice. Dynadot can change its process, so check the linked pages before you report.

When should you report a fake store to Dynadot?

Report to Dynadot when a domain lookup shows Dynadot as the registrar. To check, enter the clone’s domain at ICANN Lookup. Look for “Dynadot Inc” or “Dynadot LLC” in the registrar field.

Report it as phishing or fraud. A clone that copies your store and asks shoppers to pay, or to enter card details, fits this. Do not send Dynadot a copyright (DMCA) notice. Its copyright page says:

“We reserve the right to take no action on copyright complaints without the backing of an order issued by a court of law or an administrative body.”

Send your copyright notice to the clone’s host instead. The host stores the copied photos and text.

How do you report a fake store to Dynadot?

1. Save the evidence first. Take dated, full-page screenshots of the clone’s home page, a product page and the checkout. Do not enter real card details.
2. Confirm the registrar. Look up each clone domain at ICANN Lookup. Write down each one that shows Dynadot.
3. Open Dynadot’s form. Go to dynadot.com/report-abuse. The public registration record for dynadot.com also lists abuse@dynadot.com as its abuse contact. Dynadot’s help pages point to the form, so use the form first.
4. Choose the phishing or fraud option. Pick the category that matches what the clone does. If it asks for payment or card details while pretending to be you, that is phishing.
5. Paste the report below. Fill in the brackets. List every clone domain that uses Dynadot.
6. Attach the evidence. Add screenshots of the clone next to your real pages.
7. Log the report. Note the date, the domains and any ticket number. Check each domain again after a few days.

What evidence does Dynadot ask for?

Dynadot’s support page asks for “clear evidence of the abusive activity”. It adds: “Providing complete details and proof helps avoid delays in the investigation.”

Use this checklist:

• Every clone domain at Dynadot, one per line
• The full address of each page you captured
• Dated full-page screenshots of the clone, with the time zone
• Your matching real pages, for comparison
• What the clone asks shoppers to do (pay, enter a card, log in)
• Your official store address and brand name
• Shopper complaints or receipts, if any, with personal details removed

Copy-paste report for Dynadot

Only include statements that are true for your case. Delete the lines that do not apply.

Subject: Fraudulent store impersonating [Your Brand] (phishing)

Hello Dynadot abuse team,

I am reporting domains registered with Dynadot that are used for
phishing and fraud. Each site pretends to be our store, [Your Brand]
(https://[your-store.com]), and asks shoppers to pay at its checkout.

Domains:
- [clone-one.shop]
- [clone-two.shop]

What each site does:
- It uses our store name, logo, product photos and descriptions.
- It asks visitors for payment card details at checkout.
- It is not connected to us. We have not authorised it.

Evidence:
- Dated screenshots of each site, taken [date, time, time zone]
- Our real pages for comparison: [https://your-store.com/products/...]
- [Shopper complaint or receipt, personal details removed]

This is phishing, which is DNS abuse under the ICANN Registrar
Accreditation Agreement. Please suspend these domains or take other
action under your abuse policy.

[Your name], [Title]
[Your Brand]
[Email] / [Phone]

I confirm this report is accurate to the best of my knowledge.

What happens after you report to Dynadot?

Dynadot decides what to do. It may suspend the domain, ask you for more information or take no action.

• Replies: Dynadot says: “due to the volume of reports, you may only receive a response if more information is needed.” Silence does not mean the report failed.
• Timing: not stated by Dynadot.
• Copyright: Dynadot says it may need “a court order or administrative order” before it acts on a copyright complaint.

Check the clone domains every few days. If a clone moves to a new domain, report the new one too.

What if Dynadot does not act?

Since April 5, 2024, ICANN requires registrars to “promptly take the appropriate mitigation action(s)” when they have actionable evidence of DNS abuse, which includes phishing. If a phishing clone stays up after a fair wait, you can file an ICANN DNS abuse complaint. ICANN asks you to report to the registrar first and to show that you did.

For .shop clones, also report to the .shop registry. The registry sits above Dynadot and can put the domain on hold.

Other reports to send

A Dynadot report deals with the domain. Send these too:

• The host, with a copyright notice for your photos and text. The DMCA takedown generator writes one.
• Google Safe Browsing and Microsoft, so browsers warn shoppers.
• See how to report a fake Shopify store for every channel, and download all the templates.

Let Recon prepare the reports

Recon is a Shopify app that watches for clones of your store. On every plan, it finds who to report each clone to and writes the notices for you to review and send. Early access on Pro: one click, and Recon files the reports for you. Dynadot, the host or the registry still decides whether to remove a site. Recon never removes sites itself.

Add Recon to Shopify, or run a free website check first.

Sources

• Dynadot report form: dynadot.com/report-abuse
• Dynadot support, abuse reports: dynadot.com/support
• Dynadot copyright policy: dynadot.com/help/question/copyright-violation
• ICANN 2024 registrar agreement amendment: icann.org
• ICANN guide to DNS abuse complaints: icann.org (PDF)